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The Chinese Medicines Board of Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong today (March 31) has started to issue the ¡°Notice of confirmation of transitional registration of proprietary Chinese medicine¡± to applicants of the products fulfilling the transitional registration requirements. The notice will also carry a transitional registration number for the respective product.
Speaking at a press conference today, Member of the Chinese Medicine Board, Dr Gloria Tam, said, ¡°The registration system for proprietary Chinese medicines is an important milestone in the development of Chinese medicine. Through the registration system, the safety, quality and efficacy of proprietary Chinese medicines can be assured, and public health can be protected."
According to the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap 549), all proprietary Chinese medicines manufactured or sold in Hong Kong must be registered. They must fulfil the registration requirements as prescribed by the Chinese Medicines Board in safety, quality and efficacy to get registration.
The system of registration of proprietary Chinese medicines was implemented on December 19, 2003. A transitional registration arrangement is provided under the ordinance. Where a proprietary Chinese medicine was, on March 1, 1999, manufactured or sold in Hong Kong, the relevant manufacturer, importer or local agent/representative of a manufacturer outside Hong Kong, had to apply for transitional registration of the concerned product before June 30, 2004.
The Chinese Medicines Board has so far received about 16,200 applications, of which 14,000 also applied for transitional registration.
Dr Tam said: ¡°The Chinese Medicine Board and its Chinese Medicines Committee have processed all the applications. Today, we will provide an update on the progress made.¡±
About 5,700 applications that fulfilled the transitional registration requirements will be issued the ¡°Notice of confirmation of transitional registration of proprietary Chinese medicine¡±. For about 1,800 applications for non-transitional registration where the basic information for safeguarding public health has been provided, the respective applicant will receive a ¡°Notice of confirmation of (non-transitional) registration application of proprietary Chinese medicine¡±.
There are 850 applications withdrawn by their respective applicants, and about 3,000 applications will be rejected after failing to provide the basic information for safeguarding public health.
The remaining applicants will be requested to provide the relevant information within a specified period for the board¡¯s assessment.
Chairman of The Chinese Medicines Committee Mr Li Ying-sang, said at the press conference that the ¡°Notice of confirmation of transitional registration of proprietary Chinese medicine¡± issued by the board contained a transitional registration number with the format of ¡°HKP-XXXXX¡±.
¡°Following the implementation of the relevant provisions of the ordinance, the applicant should affix or print a label with the transitional registration number and other registered particulars on the external package of the respective proprietary Chinese medicine," he said.
Mr Li explained that the Chinese Medicines Committee had carried out an initial assessment on the applications for non-transitional registration. The board will issue ¡°Notice of confirmation of (non-transitional) registration application of proprietary Chinese medicine¡± to applications with the basic information for safeguarding public health provided.
The confirmation notice contains a serial number with the format of ¡°HKNT-XXXXX¡±. As this serial number is not a registration number, the applicant should not affix or print a label carrying the words ¡°proprietary Chinese medicine registration number¡± or ¡°registration number¡± on the external package of the respective proprietary Chinese medicine when using the number.
The Chinese Medicines Board reminded people to note the following when using Chinese proprietary medicines:
1) Proprietary Chinese medicine is a type of medicine and should be used with caution.
2) The use of any medicine (including proprietary Chinese medicine) may have side effects.
3) Should get a clear idea of one¡¯s need before taking any medicine arbitrarily.
4) Natural products may not be safe. People should be careful about this point.
5) Even proprietary Chinese medicine will have interacting effects with other medicines. Patients should inform their healthcare providers about their history of taking medicines.
6) Keep all medicines, including Chinese proprietary medicine, out of the reach of children.
7) Study carefully the label and instruction insert of the proprietary Chinese medicine. Don¡¯t buy medicines from a dubious source; and
8) Seek medical advice promptly if adverse reaction arises or symptoms persist after the use of proprietary Chinese medicine.
For enquiries on the notices and registration numbers, Chinese medicine traders or members of the public may call the hotline set up by the Department of Health on 2574 9999, or visit the website of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (http://www.cmchk.org.hk).
Ends/Monday, March 31, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:16
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