Secretary for Health chairs first meeting of Advisory Committee on Health and Medical Innovation Development (with photos)
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The Health Bureau (HHB) established the Steering Committee on Health and Medical Innovation Development (Steering Committee) last year to co-ordinate and advance the work related to health and medical innovation, with a view to taking forward the policy of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub as proposed in the Policy Address. The newly established Advisory Committee under the Steering Committee is responsible for providing professional advice and strategic recommendations on the related work to the Steering Committee. The Advisory Committee has received staunch support from the National Medical Products Administration, with the Director of the Department of Drug Registration, Mr Yang Ting, joining the Committee as the official representative of the national drug regulatory authority. Other members include experts from the healthcare, academic, scientific research, and industry sectors. Other members include experts from the healthcare, academic, research, and industry sectors.
The Advisory Committee held its first meeting today, where members first received a briefing on the progress of the establishment of the CMPR. The Preparatory Office for the CMPR has been taking forward various measures, including examining the need for new legislation, mapping out the strategies to reform the regulatory regime of drugs and medical devices, and advancing plans for "primary evaluation" since its establishment in June last year. The objective is to put forward the timetable for establishing the CMPR and the roadmap towards the adoption of "primary evaluation" in the first half of this year.
At the meeting, members also offered advice on the proposals for establishing the RWSAC. The RWSAC aims to enhance the access and application of health and medical databases, as well as strengthen collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland, particularly in integrating real-world data generated through the special measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, to achieve three major objectives: (1) accelerate the research and development (R&D), approval and market launch of innovative medical products; (2) leverage real-world data to support evidence-based decision-making; and (3) develop Hong Kong into a leading region and global hub for real-world studies. The Government strives to establish the RWSAC by the end of this year.
Professor Lo said, "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of the Advisory Committee for offering invaluable and professional advice on the proposals and measures for health and medical innovation development at today's meeting. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will strenuously work in line with the national objective of further reforming the medical and healthcare system and take forward the establishment of the CMPR and the RWSAC by complementing technological innovation with institutional innovation. We will fully utilise the institutional advantages of 'one country, two systems' and Hong Kong's professional healthcare strengths to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, thereby enabling patients to benefit from the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies and achieving the concept of bringing the benefits of good drugs and R&D to Hong Kong. At the same time, we aim to attract more local, Mainland and overseas pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises to conduct R&D and clinical trials in Hong Kong, thereby developing new quality productive forces in biomedicine and a new model for Hong Kong's health and medical innovation development, so as to make further contributions to the overall development of the nation."
The membership of the Advisory Committee is as follows:
Chairman
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Secretary for Health
Representative from national drug regulatory authority
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Mr Yang Ting
Non-official members
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Professor Isaiah Arkin
Professor Bian Zhaoxiang
Dr Benjamin Li Xiaoyi
Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam
Professor Walter Seto Wai-kay
Professor David Shum Ho-keung
Professor Karl Tsim Wah-Keung
Mr Fred Tung
Ms Wu Shan
Official members
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Permanent Secretary for Health
Deputy Secretary for Health 3
Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health's Office)
Representative from the Department of Health
Representative from the Hospital Authority
Representative from the Innovation and Technology Commission
Representative from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Ends/Friday, May 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:22
Issued at HKT 17:22
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