Beijing - The Coca-Cola Company signed a 15-year collaborative agreement with the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM) during the Academy's 50th Anniversary Celebration in Beijing on Nov. 18. Don Short, president, Beverage Institute For Health and Wellness (BIHW); Dr. Huaying Zhang, BIHW director of Health & Nutrition for Asia; and Howard Lam, director of new beverages for the China division, represented the Company at the ceremonies.

The CATCM is China's national center for research, healthcare and education in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is administered under the Ministry of Public Health through the State Administration of TCM of the People's Republic of China. The Academy consists of 3,100 professionals, including 800 doctors and professors, 11 research institutions, five hospitals and clinics, and several educational and publishing branches. It is the most respected and trusted group of TCM practitioners in the world.

The Company is the first corporation to sign a broad collaborative agreement with CATCM in the area of preventative health, and the only corporation invited to attend the Academy's anniversary celebration.

The agreement enables the Company to work with CATCM researchers and practitioners on a wide range of projects, ranging from health and wellness communications and strategies that encompass TCM philosophies to scientific research on TCM herbs and herbal products that could lead to the commercialization of new wellness beverages. For the Academy, the Company brings technical and marketing skills that can help advance its commitment to increase scientific understanding of how TCM works and to make TCM relevant and accessible to modern consumers across the globe. Interest in TCM among members of the international research community and recognition that many TCM treatments have enormous potential has increased tremendously in recent years. Dr. Huaying Zhang of The Beverage Institute will help coordinate activities related to the CATCM collaboration on behalf of The Coca-Cola Company and The Beverage Institute For Health & Wellness.