China enforces 2025 pharmacopoeia to tighten drug supervision

The 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China officially came into effect on Wednesday, marking a major step of the country in strengthening drug quality and safety oversight.

As the core of China's pharmaceutical standards system, the pharmacopoeia serves both as a "protective wall" safeguarding public medication safety and a "compass" guiding the development of the country's pharmaceutical industry.

The 2025 edition is divided into four volumes covering traditional Chinese medicine, chemical drugs, biological products, pharmaceutical excipients and packaging materials, as well as general technical requirements. A total of 6,385 products are now listed, an increase of 159 new entries and 1,101 revisions compared to the previous edition. In addition, 69 new general technical requirements were introduced and 133 updated, while 33 new guiding principles were added and 17 revised.

"Regarding the inclusion of varieties, we have focused on enhancing coverage of items listed in the National Essential Medicines List and the National Reimbursement Drug List. This time, the number of general technical requirements and guiding principles added or revised accounts for about 55 percent of the total, further improving drug quality controllability," said Shu Rong, secretary-general of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission.

As the fundamental benchmark for pharmaceuticals in China, the pharmacopoeia sets the minimum threshold for market entry. Under the Drug Administration Law, medicines whose ingredients do not match the prescribed standards are classified as counterfeit, while those that fail to meet specified content requirements are deemed substandard.

"Starting from October 1, drug prescriptions in China, as well as registration applications, production processes and inspections related to active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, and packaging materials, must all comply with the new edition of the pharmacopoeia," said Xu Miao, chief expert at the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC).

China enforces 2025 pharmacopoeia to tighten drug supervision

China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.

Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.

The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.

The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.

He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.

Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM