International meeting on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards held in Hong Kong (with photo)
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     The 10th meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) was held in Hong Kong from June 12 to June 14 to finalise the setting of reference standards for 25 Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) commonly used in Hong Kong.
 
     The three-day meeting was being attended by over 70 overseas, Mainland and local experts. At the meeting, the IAB reviewed the research work of the current phase for 25 CMM, and followed up on the progress of a pilot study on the reference standards for Chinese medicines decoction pieces. It also evaluated the current state of research and discussed future research direction.
 
     Addressing the meeting, the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan, said, "This year marks the 15th anniversary of the HKCMMS Project. With the recent publication of the eighth volume of the HKCMMS, we have already published a total of 275 CMM reference standards, which are well recognised in the field of Chinese medicine testing and certification. In addition, the setting up of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute is expected to further develop Hong Kong into an international hub for Chinese medicines testing and quality control."
 
     The IAB was established in early 2002 to give advice on the principles, methodologies and analytical methods for the development of the HKCMMS. It comprises renowned experts from the Mainland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to local experts.
 
     Dr Chan said the project of setting standards for CMM rests heavily on the participation of scientific community, and the Government is most grateful to the eight research partners, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Hong Kong, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan's China Medical University, for rallying behind the project and making efforts to meet various challenges in setting standards. In addition, the Government Laboratory is continuing to conduct inter-laboratory verification studies, which adds to the scientific rigour and robustness.
 
     "We are also indebted to the China Food and Drug Administration, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission for their invaluable advice and continuous support for the development of the HKCMMS," Dr Chan added.
 
     Previous publications of HKCMMS could be accessed at www.cmd.gov.hk/html/eng/hkcmms/volumes.html.

Ends/Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:30

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