The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) today (December 1) welcomes the Work Plan for Regulatory Innovation and Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Work Plan) promulgated by the Central Government earlier.  The new measure would facilitate Hong Kong residents to seek suitable healthcare services in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), attract medical and pharmaceutical enterprises to expand businesses in Mainland cities of the GBA, and further promote the development of Chinese medicine in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA, bringing mutual benefits to both places.
      
     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, said, "I would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the Central Government for launching this measure, specifically to allow designated healthcare institutions operating in the nine Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA to use Hong Kong-registered drugs with urgent clinical use, and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals with urgent clinical use and advanced clinical applications, subject to the approval of Guangdong Province.  The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) also entrusted the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration to commence the relevant work in relation to simplifying the registration process for importing proprietary Chinese medicines for external use registered in Hong Kong.  Hong Kong has a sound drug registration system and the Department of Health has implemented administrative control system for medical devices.  I believe the above measure will not only help attract local and multinational pharmaceutical, biomedical and health technology companies to apply for registration of new pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong, but also improve the level of healthcare services in the GBA."
      
     According to the Work Plan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will implement the measure at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital on a trial basis, and extend the policy to cover more designated healthcare institutions, drugs and medical devices in a timely manner.  The HKSAR Government has already kick-started preparatory work with the relevant Mainland authorities, including establishment of a collaborative platform and commencing discussions with relevant authorities to draw up the directory of drugs and medical devices to be used in designated healthcare institutions in the GBA in accordance with the Work Plan.  The HKSAR Government will discuss with relevant Mainland authorities the implementation details.
      
     After its third meeting in November 2019, the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area announced that it had accepted the proposal put forward by the HKSAR Government to permit the use of Hong Kong-registered drugs and common medical devices in designated Hong Kong-owned healthcare institutions in Mainland cities of the GBA.  The Work Plan was promulgated on the website of the NMPA in November 2020.
      
     Professor Sophia Chan believed that the positive response from the Central Government to the proposal submitted by the HKSAR Government would facilitate Hong Kong residents working and living in the GBA to receive healthcare services locally, and foster mutual benefits, connectivity and in-depth integration of the medical and pharmaceutical industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA, as well as promote their standardisation and internationalisation.  She also appreciates that the trade share their views and suggestions on the medical and pharmaceutical industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA from time to time.  

Ends/Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Issued at HKT 22:18

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