Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau today met a delegation led by Commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Li Li to discuss issues such as the approval of drugs and Chinese medicine on the Mainland and in Hong Kong.

Both parties also renewed co-operation pacts regarding the regulation of drugs and the construction, research and management of Chinese Medicines Herbarium.

The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the Government will enhance the prevailing evaluation, approval and registration mechanism for drugs as well as establish an internationally recognised regulatory authority for drugs and medical devices with the objective of setting up an authority to register drugs and medical devices under a “primary evaluation” approach.

The Government made proactive moves on all fronts, including the formal acceptance by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use as its observer and the implementation of a new drug approval mechanism, the '1+' mechanism, respectively on October 31 and November 1 last year, Prof Lo pointed out.

He added that the preparatory office for the Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR) will be set up in the first half of this year to study the restructuring and strengthening of the regulatory and approval regime for drugs, medical devices and technologies, and proposals will be put forward to establish the centre as a step towards the transition to the “primary evaluation” approach.

Additionally, the Government will establish the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) in the Hetao area by the end of this year. The institute will provide one-stop clinical trial support services to further ramp up the capacity and efficiency of clinical trials in Hong Kong and transform the city into a leading clinical trial hub in Asia.

Concerning Chinese medicine, the health chief stated that the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute earlier launched the Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines, a world-class dedicated website, showcasing scientific information on over 220 types of commonly used Chinese materia medica.

The website also enables users to immerse themselves in a virtual tour to view the precious Chinese materia medica specimens donated by the NMPA, Prof Lo noted.

After the meeting, both parties renewed the Co-operation Agreement on Regulation of Drugs and the Co-operation Agreement on Construction, Research & Management of Chinese Medicines Herbarium.

The renewal of the agreement on drugs regulation underpins the co-ordination among the NMPA, the Department of Health and CMPR.

Such an agreement, Prof Lo emphasised, enables the Government to leverage the city's healthcare strengths to establish the “primary evaluation” mechanism for the registration of drugs and medical devices, and foster collaboration between the GBAICTI and relevant Mainland organisations in staging a collaborative regional platform for clinical trials.

As for the renewal of the pact on Chinese Medicines Herbarium, he explained that it is conducive to deepening the two parties’ collaboration in the field of Chinese medicine regulation.

Prof Lo added that by perfecting the collection of the Chinese Medicines Herbarium, its functions in science popularisation, research, testing, regulation and inheritance will be further strengthened, assisting in the national drive for Chinese medicine to go global.