Hong Kong and Mainland sign co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines (with photos)

     The Department of Health (DH) and the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) signed a co-operation agreement on research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines today (June 15). The agreement is an important milestone in the collaboration between the two regulatory authorities towards the internationalisation of Chinese medicines.
 
     The agreement was jointly signed by the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan, and the Director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the NMPA, Mr Qin Xiaoling.
 
     After signing the agreement, Dr Chan said that the agreement will continue the solid co-operation relationship between the two parties and jointly promote the development of the research for testing and standards of Chinese medicines.
 
     The DH, together with the NMPA and its affiliated institution, namely the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), has engaged in exchanges all along on issues pertinent to the testing and research of Chinese medicine standards. The NMPA and the NIFDC offered technical advice and valuable opinions for the establishment of the Chinese Medicines Herbarium in the temporary Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) established by the DH at the Hong Kong Science Park in 2017 and arranged to donate precious and representative specimens of commonly used Chinese medicines to Hong Kong.
 
     Dr Chan said that the Government has been actively promoting the exchanges and co-operation in the testing and reference standards research of Chinese medicines with relevant authorities in the Mainland in recent years. The Mainland has also been supportive of the development of Chinese medicines in Hong Kong throughout the years including the provision of technical support for the permanent GCMTI, for which construction will soon start adjacent to the Chinese Medicine Hospital site in Tseung Kwan O. Therefore, the signing of this agreement lays a solid foundation for the establishment and long-term development of the permanent GCMTI.
 
     According to the agreement, exchanges in the area of developing standards for Chinese materia medica, including research and development of quality and safety standards for Chinese materia medica and decoction pieces, as well as testing on the quality and safety of Chinese medicines, will be further enhanced through various platforms such as meetings of experts, symposiums and training between both places.