The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, departed from Geneva for Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday (May 20, Zurich time) and held a roundtable meeting with local multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. The meeting introduced participants to the measures put forward by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, enhance the drug evaluation and registration mechanism, and foster clinical trial development.

     Professor Lo and his delegation held a roundtable meeting in Zurich with multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies to highlight the measures put forward by the HKSAR Government to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub. These measures include the implementation of "primary evaluation" for new drugs, the establishment of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute and its Real-World Study and Application Centre, and the upcoming establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation within this year.

     Professor Lo encouraged pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland to leverage the "1+" drug approval mechanism to introduce newly developed drugs into the HKSAR to meet local healthcare needs, and take advantage of the 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 (GBA) to benefit patients in GBA Mainland cities. He also called on Swiss pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong to leverage the unparalleled advantages of the HKSAR to promote the translation and clinical application of advanced biomedical technologies.

     The delegation paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Consul General in Zurich and for the Principality of Liechtenstein, Ms Chen Yun, this morning (May 21, Zurich time). Professor Lo introduced to her the latest healthcare developments of Hong Kong.

     Professor Lo said, "Under the current complex international political environment, it is all the more important for Hong Kong to ensure the stability and sustainability of its healthcare system. The Health Bureau (HHB) will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan by leveraging the unique advantages and important role of the HKSAR, as well as deepening reform of the healthcare system and continuously promoting the co-ordinated reform of healthcare services, drugs and healthcare protection. This will thereby resonate in tandem with the nation's medical reform, with a view to ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system and safeguarding the health of our citizens.

     "At the same time, the HKSAR Government will continue to strive to enhance the quality, efficiency and sustainability of Hong Kong's healthcare system, as well as develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, enhance clinical trial capabilities and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications, thereby fostering new quality productive forces in biomedical technology. The HHB will definitely seize the opportunities to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub and move at full speed to align with the policies of the National 15th Five-Year Plan. The goal is to build a 'Healthy Hong Kong' while better integrating into and serving national development through leveraging our distinctive advantages and important role of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world."

     Members of the delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui; and Deputy Secretary for Health Ms Elaine Mak. They will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (May 22, Hong Kong time).

Ends/Thursday, May 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:30

NNNN