International meeting on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards held in Hong Kong (with photo)
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     The Eighth Meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) began in Hong Kong today (June 17) to finalise the setting of reference standards for 33 Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) commonly used in Hong Kong.

     The four-day meeting is attended by over 70 overseas, Mainland and local experts. At the meeting, the IAB will review and endorse the research work of the current phase for 33 CMM. It will also evaluate the current state of research and discuss future research directions.

     A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said, "Our pursuit of standard setting for CMM began with research on eight CMM a decade ago. In 2012, reference standards for around 200 CMM were established. The challenge over the coming years is to build on this foundation and take it forward to the next stage for continued fulfillment of the goal of public health protection as well as contribution to the development of Chinese medicine."

     The IAB on HKCMMS 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.

     It is also responsible for the selection of institutions to take up the required research work, including laboratory analysis and selection of target herbs, and to render assistance in setting up the content of the HKCMMS.

     As the research endeavour rests heavily on the work of the scientific community, the spokesman expressed appreciation to the eight research partners, namely The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Hong Kong, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan's China Medical University, for rallying behind the project and putting in hard work and enthusiasm to meet the many challenges of standard setting. In particular, the Government Laboratory continues 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 of the PRC for their invaluable advice and continuous support for the development of the HKCMMS," the spokesman added.

Ends/Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:19

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