Pharmacy and poisons board of hong kong endorses regulation of medical gases as pharmaceutical products under ordinance, effective june 14, 2026
The Department of Health (DH) today (June 17) said that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong (the Board) has endorsed the regulation of medical gases as pharmaceutical products under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (the Ordinance) with effect from June 14, 2026.
In September 2023, the Board agreed that medical gases should be regulated as pharmaceutical products under the Ordinance after taking into account the regulatory control of medical gases in other jurisdictions and the current situation in Hong Kong. In this connection, a public consultation had been conducted by the DH in November last year for collecting views and comments from the public and relevant stakeholders.
Noting that the overall responses were in support of the regulatory control of medical gases, the Board has decided at its meeting on June 14, 2024, to regulate medical gases as pharmaceutical products under the Ordinance by giving two years' preparatory time (i.e. from June 14, 2024, to June 13, 2026) for the trade to apply for relevant licences and registration of their products. The Board has also promulgated relevant Guidance Notes and details are available at the Board's website (www.ppbhk.org.hk/eng/index.html).
The DH has started issuing letters to inform relevant traders and stakeholders about the aforesaid regulation. When the new regulatory control takes effect, the medical gases, as pharmaceutical products, have to be registered with the Board before they can be legally sold or supplied in Hong Kong. In addition, traders of the pharmaceutical products must obtain relevant licence(s) from the Board before conducting manufacture, wholesale (including import and export) of pharmaceutical products and retail sales of pharmaceutical products containing poisons. According to the Ordinance, illegal possession or sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products or prescription drugs, and manufacture, wholesale of pharmaceutical products and retail sales of pharmaceutical products containing poisons without relevant licences are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment upon conviction.
For relevant information on the Regulation of Medical Gases, please visit the website of the Drug Office of the DH (www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/pharmaceutical_trade/medical_gases_regulation.html).
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"Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation received by state leader
The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, was received by Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr Ding Xuexiang, at the Great Hall of the People today (September 21).
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, several guests, primary and secondary students and teachers and post-secondary students from Hong Kong and Macao, as well as representatives from the Association of Hong Kong Flag-guards and the Hong Kong Army Cadets Association, also attended the meeting.
Mr Chan expressed deep gratitude to Vice Premier Ding for personally guiding the Hong Kong and Macao youth and even more so to the nation for providing this valuable opportunity for students to take part in the solemn flagraising ceremony at Tiananmen Square and experience the historical culture and development achievements of the capital. He said that this was a rare and profound patriotic education experience. During the solemn flagraising ceremony, students felt the dignity of the national flag and anthem up close, deepening their understanding of the symbolic meaning of the flag, as well as national situation and development. Through a rich itinerary of visits, the students also gained a genuine appreciation of the challenges and accomplishments of the nation's journey from history to rejuvenation, further strengthening their national identity, the sense of national pride, affection for and sense of belonging to the country.
Mr Chan emphasised that the trip is of great significance for promoting patriotic education in Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools. In addition to textbook learning, bringing students into the sites of national history and culture allows them to experience emotions firsthand and deepen their understanding through real stories, which greatly contributes to patriotic education. The delegation's itinerary organically integrated national flag education, history education, cultural education and national development education, making patriotism more concrete, vivid and powerful in the hearts of students, guiding them to consciously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and aspiring to become a new generation that loves the country and Hong Kong and is willing to take responsibility.
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