Chinese Medicine Council announces that transitional registration of proprietary Chinese medicines will end on June 30
The following is issued on behalf of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK):
The CMCHK announced today (June 24) that the evaluation and approval process for converting the transitional registrations of proprietary Chinese medicines (pCm) to formal registrations has been completed. The transitional registration system for pCm will come to an end on June 30. By then, all pCms sold in Hong Kong must have valid formal registrations, marking a new chapter in the regulatory regime of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.
According to the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549), all pCms must be registered with the Chinese Medicines Board (CMB) under the CMCHK before they can be sold, imported or possessed in Hong Kong. The registration of pCm must comply with the stringent requirements of the CMB in respect of safety, quality and efficacy. Taking into account the actual situation of the trade, the Government implemented a transitional measure in the past. PCms manufactured or sold in Hong Kong as of March 1, 1999, and meeting the eligibility criteria for transitional registration, were allowed to continue to be sold during the application period for "Certificate of registration of pCm" (HKC) with a "Notice of confirmation of transitional registration of pCm" (HKP).
During the implementation of the transitional registration arrangement, the CMB processed a total of 14 172 cases of HKP applications and approved 9 150 for issuance of HKP. Among these cases, 6 174 cases were successfully issued with HKC, while the remaining 2 976 cases were not issued with HKCs due to reasons such as the applicants' failure to submit the required information, withdrawal of applications by the applicants, or revocation of the HKPs, among others.
In view of the time taken by the trade to adapt to the registration requirements and the impact of the pandemic, the CMB extended the deadline for submission of registration information on a number of occasions. In February 2024, the CMB made a final decision that all applications for HKC from HKP must be completed by June 30, 2025. After that, HKP will be revoked for overdue cases, and the products concerned will not be allowed to be sold, imported, or possessed in Hong Kong.
Members of the public who need to verify the information of pCms can visit the CMCHK's website.
The Chairman of the CMCHK, Mrs Jeanie Hu, said, "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the CMB for its efforts over the years and the full co-operation of the trade in accomplishing this historic task. The successful completion of the transitional registration for pCm signifies that all pCms currently sold in Hong Kong have strictly complied with the three core registration requirements - namely, safety, quality and efficacy - and fully met the requirements of the Ordinance in respect of packaging and labelling. This further enhances the protection of public health. The full implementation of the pCm registration system has not only raised public confidence in the regulatory system for Chinese medicines in Hong Kong, but also promoted the sustainable development of the local Chinese medicine industry, further consolidating Hong Kong's strategic position as an important hub for the internationalisation of Chinese medicines."
An unseasonably mild December
With the northeast monsoon over southern China generally weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, December 2025 was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees, monthly mean temperature of 20.2 degrees and monthly mean minimum temperature of 18.4 degrees were 2.0 degrees, 2.0 degrees and 2.2 degrees above their corresponding normals, and all of them were the second highest on record for December. This was also the first time that no Cold Weather Warning was in force in November and December in a year since the Cold Weather Warning System commenced operation in 1999. The month was also drier than usual with a total rainfall of 6.5 millimetres, only about 23 per cent of the normal of 28.8 millimetres. The annual total rainfall of 2 558.7 millimetres was about 5 per cent above the annual normal of 2 431.2 millimetres.
With a band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the weather of Hong Kong was mainly cloudy with one or two rain patches on the first four days of the month. Under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon, the weather turned generally fine and dry on December 5 and remained so on the following four days. With the return of a cloud band, it turned mainly cloudy with one or two rain patches on December 10 and the next morning. It turned generally fine during the day on December 11 as the clouds thinned out. With plenty of sunshine, the maximum temperature at the Observatory rose to 26.0 degrees that afternoon, the highest of the month. A fresh to strong easterly airstream affected the coast of Guangdong the next day. Locally, the weather remained mainly fine and dry.
A cold front moved across the coast of Guangdong on the late afternoon of December 13. Under the influence of its associated strong northeast monsoon, winds strengthened from the north and temperatures fell progressively. It was rather cool on the mornings of the next two days. Additionally, while one or two rain patches occurred on December 13 under the influence of a broad band of clouds, the weather turned generally fine on the night of December 14 under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon and remained so on the next three days. It was also very dry on December 14 and 15, with the relative humidity over most parts of the territory staying around 30 to 40 per cent during the day. With the return of a broad band of clouds, the weather became cloudier with one or two rain patches later on December 18 and the next day. As the cloud band thinned out, the weather turned generally fine and dry during the day on December 20.
Under the influence of a fresh to strong northeast monsoon, it was windier on the following two days. While it was fine and dry on December 21, the weather turned mainly cloudy on December 22 due to the approach of a cloud band and remained so on the following four days. While there were one or two rain patches on the morning of December 25, with a replenishment of the northeast monsoon reaching the coast of Guangdong that morning, the local weather became dry and cool that day. It remained dry with rather cool mornings on the following two days, with the temperature at the Observatory falling to a minimum of 13.8 degrees on the morning of December 27, the lowest of the month. Under the influence of the dry northeast monsoon, the local weather turned mainly fine from December 27 to 29. With the moderation of the northeast monsoon, winds subsided on December 30, with visibility falling below 5 000 metres over parts of the territory that morning. An easterly airstream brought cloudier weather on the last day of the month.
Three tropical cyclones occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in December 2025.
Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for December are tabulated in Table 2.
Source: AI-found images
