Secretary for Health attends 2024 GBA Medical Products Administration Conference in Zhuhai (with photos)

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Medical Products Administration Conference in Zhuhai today (October 30), and introduced the latest initiatives of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub as put forth in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address".
 
     Co-organised by the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, the Conference serves as a platform for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to share their work experience in drug regulation, enhance the work mechanism for collaboration on drug and medical device regulation in the GBA, and foster the innovation development of drug and medical device regulation in the region. Deputy Commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration Mr Zhao Junning also attended the Conference.

     During the Conference, representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao exchanged views on the current situation of regulation over drugs and medical devices in the three places, the mechanism for regulatory collaborations on drugs and medical devices in the GBA, the GBA standards for Chinese medicines (CM), as well as the feasibility of streamlining the registration and approval procedures for Hong Kong- and Macao-registered traditional proprietary CM for oral use for sale in the Mainland, and had an in-depth discussion on the way forward.
 
     Professor Lo updated the attendees with the latest developments of Hong Kong's healthcare policies put forward in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address", including complementing technological innovation with institutional innovation through expediting the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices, strengthening biomedical technology research and development (R&D) and translation, and promoting the internationalisation of CM. 

     Professor Lo said, "The HKSAR Government is determined to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub and expedite the provision of advanced diagnostic and treatment services to patients by leveraging the advantages of 'one country, two systems' and Hong Kong's healthcare professional system, while actively integrating into the national development by dovetailing with the national initiative of fostering new quality productive forces in biomedical technology as set out in the Resolution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization and the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The HKSAR Government will enhance Hong Kong's clinical trial capability and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications by rendering firm support to innovation and application of advanced biomedical technology, with a view to attracting the world's top-notch biomedical enterprises and R&D institutions to set up operations in Hong Kong."

     Members of the Hong Kong delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Principal Assistant Secretary for Health Mr Gordon Chong; the Assistant Director of Health (Health Sciences and Technology), Dr Liza To; the Assistant Director of Health (Drug), Mr Frank Chan; and the Acting Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Mr Robert Law. The delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening.