David Hui welcomes establishment of Hong Kong version of U.S. FDA

Health expert David Hui Shu-cheong welcomes the government to establish Hong Kong’s own version of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but believes the prices of the drugs may not be lower due to commercial reasons. 

Hui also believes the establishment of such a body can speed up the development of local drugs as the city will no longer need to depend on other countries to approve drugs, adding that the move can attract overseas pharmaceutical companies to come to Hong Kong. 

On a Saturday radio program, Hui noted that many companies have started doing business in Singapore recently and hopes relevant industries in Hong Kong can have more room for development. 

He also said that Hong Kong’s teaching hospitals and public hospitals have been cooperating with overseas pharmaceutical companies in clinical research on drugs, including remdesivir and asthma medications. 

More and more companies are now interested in working with local hospitals as they follow guidelines and instructions stringently and their data are accurate, Hui pointed out. 

He said pharmaceutical companies would have to recruit a significant number of participants when conducting clinical research and added Hong Kong would be advantageous given its close connection to the Greater Bay Area. 

Hui called on the government to allocate more funding for research and launch a mechanism to match the funding with the appropriate institutes. 

Also read: US FDA-style body mulled by govt for medical innovation, drugs entering Hong Kong: health chief