Policy Address

Attract More Top-notch International and Mainland Pharmaceutical Companies to Set up Operations in Hong Kong

62. We will attract more pharmaceutical companies to set up operations in Hong Kong to conduct clinical trials and medical treatments for rare disease drugs, high-end cancer drugs and advanced therapy products. We will proactively enhance the efficiency of patient recruitment and trial initiation. We will also make use of the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform in the Hetao area, enabling pharmaceutical companies to conduct trials simultaneously in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Concurrently, we will prepare to set up the International Clinical Trial Academy for nurturing clinical trial professionals in the GBA and host international summits and forums.

63. The Government will set up the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and submit a legislative proposal on regulating medical devices in 2026, with a view to establishing the centre as an internationally recognised regulatory authority for medical products as soon as possible. We will expedite the "1+" mechanism for new drugs, piloting priority evaluation and approval of innovative drugs recommended by the Hospital Authority (HA) for treatment of severe or rare diseases. This will help pharmaceutical companies bring innovative drugs to the market sooner. In addition, we will promote the standardisation of clinical data within the GBA and establish a real-world data platform to help pharmaceutical companies bring innovative drugs to the Mainland and international markets more quickly.

64. The HA will establish the Office for Introducing Innovative Drugs and Medical Devices. It will identify the needs and benefits of innovative drug treatments for local patients through big data analytics, bringing in innovative drugs and medical devices that are cost-effective and beneficial to patients.