A Government spokesman announced today (December 16) that two more new drugs submitted under the "1+" mechanism have been approved for registration in Hong Kong. These new drugs in two different dosages are used to treat patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, creating more treatment options for patients in Hong Kong and facilitating more good drugs for use in Hong Kong.

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has implemented the "1+" mechanism since November 1, 2023, for facilitating the registration of new drugs used for the treatment of life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases in Hong Kong. With effect from November 1, 2024, the "1+" mechanism has been extended to all new drugs, including all new chemical or biological entities and new indications, and vaccines and advanced therapy products. New drugs that are supported by local clinical data and recognised by local experts can be applied for registration in Hong Kong by submitting approval from one reference drug regulatory authority (instead of two in the past).

     The above products for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer have been approved by the drug regulatory authority in the United States and submitted for registration application in Hong Kong under the "1+" mechanism. Having evaluated the clinical data and relevant information submitted by the applicant and advice given by local expert, the Registration Committee under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong considered that the new drugs satisfied the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality, and approved the registration of the new drugs. The Department of Health (DH) has already notified the applicant of the result of the applications.

     The "1+" mechanism serves to attract more new drugs from different parts of the world seeking approval for registration in Hong Kong, giving patients more choices and further strengthening the local capacity for drug evaluation while enhancing the development of relevant software, hardware and expertise with a view to progressing towards "primary evaluation".

     Since the implementation of the "1+" mechanism, a total of nine new drugs have been approved under this mechanism. The DH has been promoting the "1+" mechanism through different channels and so far has received more than 350 enquiries from over 90 pharmaceutical companies, including those from overseas and the Mainland. Many companies have expressed interests in submitting applications for registration of their products, including advanced therapy products, under the extended "1+" mechanism.

     Meanwhile, the DH will continue its efforts to bring along the reform of the approval mechanism of drugs and medical devices as announced in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address". These include putting forward a timetable for establishing the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and charting a roadmap towards "primary evaluation" in the first half of 2025, as well as formulating strategies and measures to facilitate research and development of drugs and medical devices.

     Among the 54 commercial stalls of the Hong Kong Flower Show 2025, 52 were let at the auction held on December 11. The remaining two fast food stalls will be leased at their upset prices on a first-come, first-served basis from 9am to 4pm on December 27 (Friday). If more than one person is in the queue, each person can rent only one stall at a time.
 
     The two fast food stalls, numbered F5 and F6, measure 5 metres x 10m. The letting price is $30,310, and the security deposit is $4,687 for each stall.
 
     Those wishing to rent the stalls must be 18 years old or above and ordinarily resident in Hong Kong under section 2 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) or any company incorporated in Hong Kong. Where the renter is a company, the authorised representative of the company must produce the following documents: (i) the company's Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate; and (ii) an authorisation letter showing that the representative is authorised to act on the company's behalf in the rental and to sign the Licence Agreement on the company's behalf. Interested parties must bring cash or cheque (post-dated cheques must not be accepted), Faster Payment System or Mainland China's Licensed Digital Wallets to pay the rent and approach the Secretariat of the Hong Kong Flower Show in person at 11/F, Leisure and Cultural Services Headquarters, 1-3 Pai Tau Street, Sha Tin.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the 10-day Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 will be held from March 14 to 23 at Victoria Park. The 54 commercial stalls in the showground include 42 flower and gardening stalls, six fast food stalls, two handicraft stalls, two beverage stalls, one photographic equipment stall, and one book stall.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2601 8260 or visit hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2025/commercial.html.

     To further strengthen the protection of children and mentally incapacitated persons (MIPs), the Government has expanded the Sexual Conviction Record Check (SCRC) Scheme to cover prospective self-employed persons today (December 16). Eligible applicants can submit applications through the new online applications platform and make appointments for fingerprint taking at one of the six 24-hour designated police stations in various districts.

     A spokesperson for the Government said, "Prospective self-employed persons include, but are not limited to, private tutors, music teachers, sports coaches and persons providing door-to-door services. The SCRC Scheme remains voluntary in nature. Employers may decide whether the SCRC is necessary after assessing the risks. Applications are to be submitted by the eligible applicants."

     Applicants can submit application forms and supporting documents, enquire about their application status and pay application fees via the Hong Kong Police Force Online Applications Platform (www.es.police.gov.hk). In addition to the SCRC Office at Police Headquarters in Wan Chai, the Police have introduced a 24-hour fingerprint-taking service across the territory in six designated police stations (North Point, Yau Ma Tei, Ngau Tau Kok, Tuen Mun, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan) for greater flexibility in booking slots.

     Moreover, the validity period of the applications submitted on or after December 16, 2024, will be extended from 18 months to 36 months to reduce the number of reapplications and renewal applications arising from expiry of the validity period.

     "The multiple enhancement measures, including the launch of the online applications platform, introduction of a 24-hour fingerprint-taking service and extension of the validity period of applications, have greatly improved the system capacity and shortened the processing time for applications, bringing convenience to the public," the spokesman said.

     The Government implemented the SCRC Scheme at the end of 2011 to enable employers of persons undertaking child-related or MIP-related work to check whether prospective employees eligible to use the SCRC Scheme have any criminal conviction records against a specified list of sexual offences. Before this expansion, the SCRC Scheme covered prospective employees, contract renewal staff and staff assigned by outsourced service providers to other organisations, who apply for child-related or MIP-related work to organisations or enterprises.

     In May 2022, The Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong published a report on "Sentencing and Related Matters in the Review of Sexual Offences", which recommended the expansion of the SCRC Scheme to all existing employees, self-employed persons and volunteers.

     "The Government agrees with and will implement the relevant recommendations in phases, with a view to strengthening the protection of children and MIPs while ensuring that the SCRC system has sufficient capacity," the spokesman said.

     The Government will refer to the relevant experiences in expanding the scope of the SCRC Scheme to prospective self-employed persons in Phase 1, and consider expanding the scope to cover all volunteers as soon as one year later in Phase 2. The ultimate goal is to expand the SCRC Scheme to its fullest to cover all existing employees and self-employed persons. Details will be available nearer the time.

     A man who went missing in Aberdeen has been located.

     Yuen Hon-yee, aged 63, went missing after he left a caring home on Old Main Street, Aberdeen on December 11 afternoon. Staff of the caring home then made a report to Police.

     The man was located in a hospital on Yan Chai Street in Tsuen Wan last night (December 15). No suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Government launched today (December 16) a public consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V). It will last for two months until February 16.

     A Government spokesman said, "One of the initiatives set out in the Supplement of the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address is to review food safety standards under the Regulations with reference to international standards and practices, with a view to better protecting public health, facilitating effective regulation and promoting harmonisation between local and international food safety standards."

     With reference to latest standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and major food importing places including Mainland China, the Government proposes to add 27 new maximum levels (MLs) for specified metals (including lead, cadmium and methylmercury) in specified foods (food pairs) and update nine MLs for lead in the existing relevant food pairs. The total number of MLs will increase from 144 to 171 after the amendment.

     The Government proposes that a transitional period of 18 months be given after the enactment of the amended legislation, so that the food trade and other stakeholders will have reasonable time to make adjustments to comply with the amended Regulations.

     The consultation document is available on the websites of the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. 

     Members of the public are welcome to offer their views on the proposals by email (metal_consultation@fehd.gov.hk), fax (2893 3547) or post (43/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong) within the consultation period.

     The Government will also conduct consultation forums to collect views from the public. For details of the consultation forums, please visit the CFS website.