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The Fifth Meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) on the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) commenced in Hong Kong today (December 6).
The four-day meeting, chaired by the Director of Health, Dr PY Lam, is attended by over 40 overseas, Mainland and local experts in Chinese herbal medicine, as well as researchers from six local participating universities - City University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The University of Hong Kong.
The HKCMMS provide recommendations regarding the safety and quality of Chinese herbal medicines commonly used in Hong Kong, with the primary aim of safeguarding public health.
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, Canada, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to local experts.
The IAB is also responsible for the selection of institutions to take up the required research work, including laboratory analysis; to determine the target herbs; and to help decide the content of the HKCMMS. It usually meets at least once every two years to examine and endorse the research results.
The Meeting will review and endorse the research work of the current phase of the HKCMMS project and formulate a strategic plan for the next phase. The number of commonly used herbs to be covered by the project will increase from the present 60 to more than 200.
Information on the HKCMMS' publications can be obtained from the Department of Health website under the section of "Chinese Medicine" at www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_cm/main_cm.html.
Ends/Monday, December 6, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:09
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