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The "Seminar on Research and Development of Chinese Medicines - Present and Future" held by the Committee on Research and Development of Chinese Medicines concluded successfully today (September 6).
Co-organised by the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification, the two-day seminar was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
More than 30 guest speakers and over 500 representatives from government, industry, academic and research sectors in Chinese and Western medicine-related fields attended the seminar. They discussed various topics including research and development (R&D) of Chinese medicines and integration of Chinese and Western medicine.
The Chairperson of the Committee on R&D of Chinese Medicines and Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Miss Janet Wong, the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan, and the Director of Cluster Services of the HA, Dr Allen Cheung, delivered welcoming remarks.
During the seminar, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Science and Technology of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Professor Huang Lu-qi, spoke on the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong and research on the sustainability of Chinese medicine resources on the Mainland. Other speakers gave keynote speeches on the latest R&D trends in Chinese medicine, commercialisation of Chinese medicine R&D outcomes, the Product Certification Scheme for Chinese Materia Medica, intellectual property protection for Chinese medicines and integrative medicine on the Mainland.
Following the theme "Integration of Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine", experts and academics from the Mainland, Macau and Hong Kong were invited to share their research findings and experience in treating diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, digestive diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. They also presented their insights on integration and development of evidence-based Chinese and Western medicine.
Established in December 2011, the Committee on R&D of Chinese Medicines aims to more effectively orchestrate the efforts of government, industry, and the academic and research sectors in promoting the development of R&D and testing of Chinese medicines to meet future needs. The secretariat support to the Committee is provided by the Innovation and Technology Commission.
Ends/Friday, September 6, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:01
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