Hong Kong seeks global talent for new drug approval body

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead.

Hong Kong is on a global talent hunt for its own drug approval body which is expected to be launched by the fourth quarter of this year as the city bids to achieve its international biomedical hub ambitions, the city’s health minister has revealed.

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the government was in talks with its mainland Chinese counterpart to seek World Health Organization recognition for the city’s future Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR), a crucial step towards establishing the body as an internationally recognised primary drug evaluator.

“In the past, Hong Kong took a more passive role, approving drug registration only after two other economies or jurisdictions found the quality, safety and efficacy met the standards,” Lo said.

“This is a safe approach, but it means Hong Kong won’t be the first one to use the most advanced drugs, and we are losing the discourse power.

“With the rapid pace of biomedical innovation, alongside the development of our country and the Greater Bay Area, we must reform to align ourselves with national policy. This is a priority since I took office.”

Lo said that before the formal opening of the CMPR, likely to be in the fourth quarter, the government had launched the “1+” mechanism, allowing drug makers to seek local registration for products supported by local clinical data and only one external regulatory approval instead of two.