Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 16) investigating two cases of severe paediatric influenza A infection and reminded the community to heighten vigilance against influenza. The CHP appealed to members of the public to receive seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) in a timely manner to better protect themselves during the influenza season.

     The first case involves a 6-year-old girl with underlying diseases. She developed a fever and cough on May 9 and sought medical attention from a private doctor on the same day. She was taken to the accident and emergency department of Tseung Kwan O Hospital for medical attention on May 12 due to the worsening of symptoms and was admitted the same day. She was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital for further management on May 14. She is now in critical condition. Her home contacts are currently asymptomatic.
 
     The second case involves a 6-year-old girl with good past health. She developed a fever and cough with sputum on May 12 and shortness of breath yesterday (May 15). She was taken to the accident and emergency department of United Christian Hospital for medical attention on the same day. She was admitted to a general paediatric ward of the hospital this morning and was subsequently transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit for further management. She is now in serious condition. One of her home contacts is currently symptomatic. 

     The patients’ respiratory specimens were positive for influenza A (H1) virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis for both of them was influenza A infection complicated with severe pneumonia. Initial enquiries by the CHP revealed that the two patients had not received SIV for this season and had no travel history during the incubation period. The CHP’s investigations into the two cases are ongoing.

     A spokesman for the CHP said, “Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications, as well as reducing influenza-related hospitalisation and death. SIV is recommended for all persons aged 6 months or above except those with known contraindications. Persons at a higher risk of getting influenza and its complications, including the elderly and children, should receive SIV early. As it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies, members of the public are advised to receive SIV early for protection against seasonal influenza. Please see details of the vaccination schemes on the CHP’s website.”

     A person who gets influenza and COVID-19 at the same time may be more seriously ill and would have a higher risk of death. It is important to receive both SIV and COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, in particular for children and elderly persons residing in the community or residential care homes. The public should also maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against influenza and other respiratory illnesses, and note the following:
 

• Surgical masks can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• For high-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised), wear a surgical mask when visiting public places. The public should also wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one’s eyes, mouth and nose;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
• Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     â€‹The public may visit the CHP’s influenza page and weekly COVID-19 & Flu Express for more information. read more

     A luncheon panel discussion entitled “Hong Kong: A Vibrant Tech Hub for Startups and Corporates” was held in Tokyo, Japan, today (May 16) to promote Hong Kong’s dynamic business environment and proactive approach to innovation and technology (I&T).

     Co-organised by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), the panel discussion is a side event of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program, a global start-up event being held from May 15 to 16.

     InvestHK Senior Vice President (Startups), Mr Lu Chin-yung, introduced Hong Kong’s vibrant and dynamic start-up ecosystem, noting that according to the results of InvestHK’s 2023 Startup Survey, start-ups in Hong Kong continued to flourish, with the number of start-ups reaching a record high of 4 257, up 272 from the previous year. He added that these start-ups spanned across various business sectors such as financial technology, e-commerce, supply chain management and logistics technology.

     Other panelists included HKSTP Business Development Senior Manager Mr Isaac Tse, who introduced the HKSTP’s programmes and support for start-ups; representatives of three start-ups from Hong Kong who shared their experiences in setting up and starting businesses in Hong Kong; and the Chief Commercial Officer of Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Mr Teddy Lui, who introduced how the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund is creating a sustainable impact on Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem, empowers start-ups and supports innovation and technology in Hong Kong and across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

     The Hong Kong Pavilion at the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program was set up by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo) and InvestHK at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and exhibition centre in Tokyo. It brings together 20 Hong Kong start-ups to present their business, services and products, and serves as a platform for them to seek business opportunities and collaboration on a global scale. It also introduces to Japanese and international business communities Hong Kong’s dynamic business environment and vibrant and diverse start-up ecosystem as well as its active approach to I&T.

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     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, had separate meetings with delegations led by Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission Mr Li Ang and the Director of the Health Bureau of the Macao Special Administ… read more

     Hong Kong Customs today (May 16) reminded members of the public to stay alert to an unsafe bubble blower. Test results indicated that the small parts of the toy could pose suffocation risks to children. To avoid an accident, parents should immediately stop letting their children play with the bubble blower. Traders should also remove the toy from their shelves.

     Customs officers earlier test-purchased a model of bubble blower from a retailer for safety testing. Test results revealed that the lid of the toy was a removable component and failed the related safety tests. Children would face a danger of suffocation if the lid is swallowed. Customs also found that the toy did not carry the required warning about removable small parts specified in the safety standard. Moreover, the bubble blower did not bear the identification markings and the bilingual warnings or cautions prescribed by the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (TCPSO).

     Customs later conducted an operation to search the retailer’s premises in connection with the case. No other suspected unsafe bubble blowers were found and a prohibition notice was served at the same time to prohibit the continued sale of the unsafe bubble blower by the retailer.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Customs reminds members of the public to observe the following safety tips when purchasing and playing with toys:
      

• Beware of whether the toys contain any small parts. Small parts may block a child’s throat and lead to suffocation if swallowed;
• Check the structure of the toys to see, for example, whether they have a fragile structure, hidden sharp points, rough surfaces, sharp edges or gaps that may pinch children’s fingers;
• Do not let children play with toys alone; 
• Pay attention to age recommendations shown on labels;
• Pay attention to and follow the instructions associated with the toys;
• Throw away plastic packages of toys to prevent children from being suffocated; and
• Stop children from playing with the toys immediately if any damage is observed.

     Customs is committed to the protection of consumer interests and regularly conducts spot checks and safety tests on toys and children’s products to ensure that they are reasonably safe for use by consumers.

     Under the TCPSO, it is an offence to supply, manufacture or import unsafe toys or children’s products. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on a subsequent conviction.

     Members of the public may report information relating to suspected unsafe toys or children’s products via Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002). read more

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, at the Plenary Session – Unleashing Opportunities: Co-create a Synergistic Ecosystem for Health Innovation of Asia Summit on Global Health today (May 16):

Director General Mr He Yaqiong (Director General of the Department of Consumer Goods Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China), Professor C S Lau (Dean of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Lau Chak-sing), who is the Panel Chair for this session, distinguished speakers, guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     I am very excited to kick start this Plenary Session which is entitled Unleashing opportunities: Co-create a Synergistic Ecosystem for Health Innovation. I will share with you why and how Hong Kong can serve as the major contributor and co-creator of such a synergistic ecosystem that will translate innovations in life science from the Mainland and abroad into biomedical and healthcare advancements to benefit global health.

     I wish to update you on two subjects. One relates to the unique opportunity for biomedical innovation in Hong Kong, and the other is the progress of developing Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation centre in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

     Hong Kong has always been a leader in healthcare. Our advantages in world-leading healthcare standards and efficiency are the envy of many others. Hong Kong ranks globally among the best in various health indexes such as the longest life expectancy and the lowest infant or maternal mortality. Our dual-tract public/private healthcare system takes up only 8.5 per cent of our GDP and is ranked one of the best in the Health-Efficiency Index. Our highly subsidised public healthcare system provides universal healthcare access for all citizens and ensures that no one is denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means. The unified clinical management system for all public hospitals under the Hospital Authority (HA), together with our eHealth digital health system for all citizens, provides an excellent platform for big-data analysis and the conduct of clinical trials.

     Our city also boasts a rich concentration of five global top 100 universities, two top 40 medical schools, and a wealth of prestigious scholars in life science and healthcare. Our clinical trial centres at the two medical schools are internationally reputable, with good practices and standards, and capable of generating data recognised by regulatory bodies on the Mainland and overseas.  

     As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong is located right in the heart of Asia with excellent national and international connectedness. Our education policy of biliteracy and trilingualism signifies the unique advantages of the language environment in Hong Kong. The city has long been an international centre for finance, commerce and trade, logistics and, above all, exchange of ideas and cultures, so as to continue with the advantages of Hong Kong.

     But Hong Kong is not only Asia’s world city. It is also China’s world city. As a Special Administrative Region of China under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong remains the only place in the world where the global advantage and the China advantage come together in a single city. Apart from being closely connected to the world, we are privileged to have the strong support from the Central People’s Government. 

          I would like to highlight three national policies which provide a very powerful drive for our development as a medical and health innovation hub. First, the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 of the People’s Republic of China has clearly indicated support for Hong Kong’s development into an international innovation and technology centre, and biomedical innovation is a major focus.

          Second, the State Council promulgated the “Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone” in August 2023. This visionary plan provides that the Hetao Co-operation Zone, located at the two sides of the Shenzhen River, will be jointly developed by Hong Kong and Shenzhen under the “one river, two banks” and “one zone, two parks” vision, allowing both places to leverage their respective competitive advantages. Specifically, the Development Plan highlighted the focus in life science innovation and the development of an international clinical trial centre for the Greater Bay Area. With new measures to provide a cross-boundary flow of various innovation elements, the Co-operation Zone will serve as a bridgehead for intensive clinical trial co-operation between the two places. It will allow Hong Kong to give perfect play to its unique advantage of enjoying full support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world in driving biomedical innovation and technology in the GBA.

     Last but not the least, the third national policy that I must highlight is the special measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the GBA (港澳藥械通). The National Medical Product Administration announced the Work Plan for Regulatory Innovation and Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device in the GBA back in November 2020. It allows designated Mainland healthcare institutions operating in the GBA to use drugs and medical devices registered and used in Hong Kong and Macao’s public hospitals with urgent clinical needs. The measure was implemented successfully at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital on a trial basis between January and July 2021 and has since then been extended in two batches to a total of 19 designated healthcare institutions in nine cities in the GBA involving the use of a total of 56 drugs and medical devices approved in six batches.

     This new policy not only serves as a facilitation measure for Hong Kong residents working and living in the Mainland cities of the GBA to seek healthcare services. It is a vote of confidence in the healthcare standard of Hong Kong and a policy innovation for healthcare advancement integration and standardisation in the GBA. It effectively creates a “green channel” for the expedited entry of advanced medical products registered and used safely and effectively in Hong Kong into the Mainland cities of the GBA. The real world date generated may add to the clinical trial data to facilitate a more rapid evaluation by the regulatory authority.

Our vision in health and medical innovation

     It is with such a background that October 2023, the Chief Executive of the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) announced in his Policy Address that the Government will develop Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub. The policies include first of all, reforming our evaluation and registration mechanism for new drugs and medical devices, and secondly, promoting biomedical research and development (R&D) as well as clinical trials in Hong Kong. Seven months since the announcement of this policy, I am happy to briefly describe the progress for you.

Regulatory innovations for drugs and medical devices

     Regarding the reform in drugs and medical devices regulation, the HKSAR Government is now on track to establish the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation or CMPR, with the long-term objective of establishing an internationally recognised authority that registers medical products under the “primary evaluation” approach based on clinical trial data without the need for prior approval by other regulatory authorities. This will help accelerate the clinical use of innovative drugs and medical devices for better healthcare, and to drive the development of the R&D by pharmaceutical industries and the testing of medical products.

     The Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government has just renewed the Co-operation Agreement on Regulation of Drugs with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) last week. Both sides agreed to set up regular liaison and co-ordination arrangements between the to-be-established CMPR and the NMPA. In October 2023, with the strong support from the NMPA, Hong Kong, China has successfully acceded to the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use as an observer. With this new observership, we will keep pace with the latest developments in drug regulation and enhance the local drug regulatory regime.

     Coupled with this are our efforts in expediting the registration of new drugs and transition to “primary evaluation”. Our new “1+” drug registration mechanism came into effect last November. Under this new mechanism, applications for registration of new drugs effective for treatment of life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases in Hong Kong require the submission of only one registration certificate from a reference drug regulatory authority instead of two originally, provided they are supported by local clinical data and the scope of application is recognised by relevant local experts. In addition to the important mission of expediting the registration of advanced life-saving drugs, the “1+” mechanism will also strengthen our local capacity in drug evaluation and attract pharmaceuticals to conduct clinical trials for earlier registration in Hong Kong.

     In addition, the Hospital Authority will expedite the introduction of new drugs registered under the new mechanism into the drug formulary by centralising the evaluation process and allowing submission directly to the HA Drug Advisory Committee. This streamlined approach aims to reduce the processing time for listing of new drugs on the HA Drug Formulary by half, to around five months. The implementation of this new process is expected to take place by the end of this year.

Using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the GBA

     Regarding medical devices supplied in Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government has implemented the Medical Device Administrative Control System or MDACS, a listing system for medical devices and traders with pre-market and post-market monitoring since the year 2004. The MDACS incorporates internationally accepted best practices and, at the same time, provides flexibility and capability to cope with the rapidly advancing medical technology. Looking ahead, there is a need to reform and strengthen the regulatory regime for medical devices in Hong Kong through legislation with a view to ensuring the safety, quality and performance as well as accelerating the launch of advanced medical devices for better healthcare. In the meantime, the HKSAR Government will also work closely with the Mainland authorities in allowing designated healthcare institutions in the GBA to use MDACS-listed medical devices under the special measure, 港澳藥械通.

Promoting clinical trials

     The second part of the policy innovation relates to the promotion of clinical trials that are crucial in translating basic research from laboratory into marketing authorisation and clinical application at the bedside. With a high level of medical expertise and research standards in Hong Kong, the quality of data generated from our clinical trials is widely recognised by drug regulatory authorities on the Mainland and abroad.

     To further leverage the advantage, we will set up the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The GBAICTI will provide a one-stop clinical trial support platform for biomedical research institutions and industries. It will co-ordinate the clinical trial resources in the public and private healthcare sectors in Hong Kong, and co-operate with the Shenzhen counterpart under the “one river, two banks” and “one zone, two parks” strategies, allowing both places to leverage their respective competitive advantages. 

     We are working in full steam with the Shenzhen side on the establishment of this Greater Bay Area international clinical trial co-operation platform that will meet both the national and international standards. The goal is to promote the co-ordinated development of a clinical trial network within the GBA that will capitalise on the strengths of both Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the area of biomedical innovation and clinical trials, i.e. the excellent life science research and experience of international co-operation in clinical trials in Hong Kong; and the volume of clinical cases in the 86 million population in the GBA; as well as the capacity for rapid translation of biomedical innovation into the ecosystem of industry chain in Shenzhen. The initiative will serve as a gateway for biomedical innovation from the Mainland to go abroad and to bring in those from overseas.

     On a separate note, in line with the above government policy, the Hospital Authority will implement a number of measures to facilitate medical professionals in the public healthcare sector to conduct clinical research. These include setting up a Central Clinical Research and Innovation Office in the HA Head Office, establishing a Cluster Clinical Research Support Office in each of the seven clusters, expediting the ethics review, providing incentives and acknowledgement to staff as well as developing information technology infrastructure to support clinical research. 

Closing

     Ladies and gentlemen, when I took up the office of the Secretary for Health in July 2022, I set three missions for myself. First, controlling COVID-19 with an evidence-based approach; second, bringing better healthcare to Hong Kong; and third, pioneering beyond Hong Kong. With the unwavering support of the Central Government and under the strong leadership of the Chief Executive, the first mission has been successfully achieved. Developing Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub serves both my second and third missions. With the reform in medical product registration and innovation in biomedical research in Hong Kong, we can bring advanced and perhaps more affordable healthcare to the people of Hong Kong, the GBA and beyond, and co-create a synergistic ecosystem for the biomedical industry in the GBA. Hong Kong has never been a follower. We are always a trailblazer and pioneer. As President Xi Jinping has made a remark: “Reform is always on the road, but the road is never smooth” (改é�©æ°¸é� åœ¨è·¯ä¸Šï¼Œæ”¹é�©ä¹‹è·¯ç„¡å�¦é€”). Hong Kong is on the road to reform its medical product registration and innovate biomedical research in the coming decade. With the national endorsement and our policy innovations, together with the can-do spirit of our people bolstered with our traditional and new advantages, I am confident that Hong Kong will overcome all challenges and achieve its goal of developing into a health and medical innovation hub. I urge your preparation and participation. Thank you.

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