​The Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) of the Department of Health (DH) today (September 3) organised a training seminar for the Chinese medicine industry and relevant stakeholders. The seminar provided an update on the latest revisions and testing technologies in the 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Chinese Pharmacopoeia). A team of experts from the Guangzhou Institute for Drug Control was cordially invited to Hong Kong to deliver the lecture, helping the industry procure high-quality Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) and keeping abreast of the latest developments in national regulations. Over 200 representatives from local Chinese medicines (CM) traders, testing institutions, laboratories, universities, and research institutions participated in the seminar either in person or online. 
      
     The Chinese Pharmacopoeia is an integral part of national drug standards and serves as a statutory technical standard that must be followed by entities involved in drug research and development, production (including imports), distribution, use, and regulatory oversight. The 2025 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia was fully implemented at the end of last year, introducing revisions to numerous technical standards for the quality control and safety regulation of CM. This seminar focused on some salient revisions and core changes to the standards for CMM and CM decoction pieces set out in Volume I of the new edition.
      
     In addition, the experts from the Guangzhou Institute for Drug Control provided an in-depth analysis of the testing methods and the latest maximum limits for exogenous harmful residues, including pesticide residues, heavy metals and harmful elements, and mycotoxins. Through sharing real-world case studies, the experts deepened participants' understanding of regulatory requirements.
      
     Regarding testing methods, the experts provided a detailed introduction to the various new methods in the 2025 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. A DH chemist also presented the high-throughput screening and analytical techniques for detecting exogenous contaminants in complex CM samples. Industry professionals praised the seminar as practical and highly informative. They noted that it deepened their understanding of the latest national drug regulations and provided clear guidance for implementing compliance transformation, from which they benefited greatly.
      
     The DH expressed its sincere gratitude to the Guangzhou Institute for Drug Control for the sharing. This practical technical exchange helped the local CM and testing industries align precisely with national standards and reduce the risk of non-compliance.
      
     The seminar also exemplified the joint efforts to advance the inheritance and innovation of CM under the Co-operation Arrangement signed in July last year between the Guangzhou Municipal Market Regulatory Administration and the DH of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Both sides will continue to deepen exchanges and collaborations in the regulation of medical products and CM testing technologies to achieve complementary strengths and synergistic progress.
      
     The GCMTI of the DH has all along been committed to establishing internationally recognised reference standards and testing methods for CM. It will continue to promote the quality enhancement of the local CM industry through technical exchanges and technology transfer. Going forward, the DH will continue to align with national strategic planning, deepen close collaborations with regulatory and testing institutions in the Mainland, and dovetail with the guiding directions in the National 15th Five-Year Plan on promoting the inheritance, innovation and high-quality development of Chinese medicine. The DH is committed to enhancing the professional standards and quality control system of CM testing in Hong Kong, and will spare no effort in promoting the high-quality development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.

Ends/Thursday, September 3, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:15

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