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Health
In 2017, the board approved 3,008 applications for registration of pharmaceutical products. As at the year end, 18,120 pharmaceutical products were registered.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine is regulated under the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, which requires any person engaged in the retail or wholesale of Chinese herbal medicines or the manufacture or wholesale of proprietary Chinese medicines to obtain a licence. The Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong is the statutory body that devises and implements regulatory measures for Chinese medicine. All proprietary Chinese medicines must be registered before they can be sold, imported or possessed in Hong Kong. As a transitional arrangement, proprietary Chinese medicines manufactured or sold in Hong Kong on 1 March 1999 are eligible for a transitional registration status if an application is made within a specified period and upon the submission of acceptable basic test reports. As at end-2017, there were 6,930 licensed Chinese medicine traders, including 18 holding the Certificate for Manufacturer; 7,149 proprietary Chinese medicines with transitional registration status; and 1,291 with a Certificate of Registration of Proprietary Chinese Medicine.
The department has released reference standards for 275 commonly used Chinese medicines under the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica (HKCMM) Standards Project. The project aims to ensure the safety and quality of common Chinese herbal medicines and is supported by local universities and overseas and Mainland experts. A pilot study on setting standards for Chinese medicinal decoction is under way.
A temporary testing centre for Chinese medicine has been operating in phases from March 2017 following the 2015 Policy Address, while the department worked on establishing a permanent centre.
The department's Chinese Medicine Division, which is designated by the WHO as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, helps the WHO formulate policies and strategies and sets regulatory standards for traditional medicine.
Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Pilot Programme
The Hospital Authority is implementing an Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Pilot Programme with the aims of using such medicine to maximise the outcome of patient care, gaining experience in the development of Chinese medicine inpatient services, and facilitating postgraduate Chinese medicine development and training. The pilot programme is operating in seven public hospitals: Tung Wah Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Tuen Mun Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital.
Human Reproductive Technology
Activities using human reproductive technology are regulated to ensure the procedures are conducted in a safe and informed manner, and to safeguard the welfare of children born. through the technology. The Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance confines the application of human reproductive technology procedures to infertile married couples, regulates surrogacy arrangements and the use of embryos and gametes for research and other
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