Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau led a delegation to attend the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Medical Products Administration Conference in Zhuhai today.

During the conference, he introduced the latest initiatives of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub as put forth in the 2024 Policy Address.

The conference is co-organised by the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of the Macao SAR Government.

It serves as a platform for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to share their work experience in drug regulation, enhance the work mechanism for collaboration on drug and medical device regulation in the bay area, and foster the innovation development of drug and medical device regulation in the region.

National Medical Products Administration Deputy Commissioner Zhao Junning also attended the conference.

During the conference, representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau exchanged views on the current situation of regulation over drugs and medical devices in the three places, as well as the mechanism for regulatory collaborations on drugs and medical devices in the bay area.

They also covered bay area standards for Chinese medicines, in addition to the feasibility of streamlining the registration and approval procedures for Hong Kong and Macau-registered traditional proprietary Chinese medicines for oral use for sale on the Mainland, and had an in-depth discussion on the way forward.

Prof Lo updated the conference attendees on the latest developments of Hong Kong's healthcare policies put forward in the 2024 Policy Address.

These included 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 and translation, and promoting the internationalisation of Chinese medicines.

Prof Lo said the Hong Kong SAR 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.

He also noted that Hong Kong will actively integrate 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 Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization and the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

"The Hong Kong SAR 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 research and development institutions to set up operations in Hong Kong," Prof Lo added.

The delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening.