Hospital Authority establishes Office for Introducing Innovative Drugs and Medical Devices, presenting more and better innovative drugs and medical devices for patient care
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (June 8) that, in accordance with the policy direction set out in The Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address, the Office for Introducing Innovative Drugs and Medical Devices (the Office) was set up and commenced operations today. The Office will significantly expedite the process of introducing "new and better" drugs into the HA Drug Formulary, thereby effectively and comprehensively enhancing treatments provided for patients. In addition, the Office will proactively introduce innovative medical devices that are cost-effective and beneficial to HA patients for public hospitals' use to improve patient treatment outcomes.
The Hospital Authority (HA), Photo source: reference image
The HA spokesperson said, "With the establishment of the Office, the HA will collaborate with the Department of Health (DH) to expedite the registration process for new products recommended by the Office via the Priority Review Pathway, thereby accelerating the approval of innovative drugs in Hong Kong. In future, the evaluation time required for registering new drugs recommended by the Office, with cancer treatment drugs covered in the initial phase, will be drastically shortened by approximately one-third. The evaluation process, which currently takes up to 150 working days under the DH's existing '1+' mechanism, will be streamlined to be completed within 100 working days. This will enable patients to access advanced and effective clinical treatments more promptly, ultimately providing them with more therapeutic options."
The Office will proactively identify the needs and potential benefits of innovative drug treatments for patients, and will take the initiative to reach out to pharmaceutical companies on the Mainland and in other regions to understand their schedules and arrangements for developing new drugs. Where suitable drugs for introduction into public hospitals are identified in the process, the Office will take a proactive approach by referring such drugs to the Assessment Panel of the Office to initiate the introduction process. The Assessment Panel comprises experts from various disciplines, including clinical specialists across different specialties, health economists and clinical pharmacologists. Once the Assessment Panel has confirmed that a new drug effectively addresses unmet local medical needs, and is cost-effective and beneficial to HA patients, the HA will co-ordinate with the relevant pharmaceutical supplier to arrange for the registration of the drug in Hong Kong.
During the drug registration and approval process, the Office will commence early negotiations with the relevant pharmaceutical company on drug pricing and conduct comprehensive drug assessments in parallel. Upon approval of a new drug's registration in Hong Kong, and once the HA has reached consensus with the pharmaceutical company on pricing and other requirements, the Office will submit an application to the Drug Advisory Committee as soon as possible for assessment on the inclusion of the new drug in the HA Drug Formulary. Suitable drugs will then be introduced into the Drug Formulary for the benefit of patients in need. The HA expects that the initial phase will focus primarily on the introduction of cancer treatment drugs, offering patients with a wider range of therapeutic options.
For innovative medical devices that meet local healthcare needs, the Office has established a robust and efficient assessment channel to interface with cutting-edge medical technologies available in the market. Upon submission of relevant product information by manufacturers, the Office will proactively remind the manufacturers to apply for a device listing in Hong Kong with the DH through the designated pathway. This dedicated effort aims to accelerate the introduction of suitable innovative medical devices into public hospitals, transforming them into viable and accessible clinical options for patients.
The HA is confident that the commencement of operations of the Office will greatly optimise the process for introducing innovative drugs and medical devices, enabling more innovative drugs and medical devices to be made available to patients in public hospitals more promptly, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and patient well-being.
For information and details regarding the Office, please visit the HA website.
Photo by Bastille Post
DH announces latest situation regarding Legionnaires' disease case
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (June 8) reported the latest number of Legionnaires' disease (LD) cases, and reminded the public of the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.
From May 31 to June 6, the CHP recorded three community-acquired LD cases, involving patients aged between 65 and 88, all of whom had underlying illnesses. The details are as follows:
a 65-year-old male living in Eastern District;
a 68-year-old male living in Sha Tin District; and
an 88-year-old male living in Sham Shui Po District.
The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify the potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure. An initial investigation revealed that the three community-acquired cases are sporadic cases. No epidemiological linkages have been established between these cases and other confirmed cases previously recorded in Hong Kong.
As of June 6, 70 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2025 and 2024, there were 167 and 135 LD cases respectively.
Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpool spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or ships.
Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpool spas, water fountains, humidifiers and home respiratory devices that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.
Immunocompromised persons should:
Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily.
The public should observe the health advice below:
Observe personal hygiene;
Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) or less and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:
Wear gloves and a face mask;
Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.
The public may visit the CHP'sLD page, theCode of Practice for Prevention of LDand theHousekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Managementof the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP'srisk-based strategyfor prevention and control of LD.
Additionally, as smokers and alcoholics are more susceptible to LD, the Government urgesmembers of the public to quit smoking and avoid drinking. Members of the public may call the DH Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline at 1833 183, which is answered by registered nurses who provide professional counselling and referral to a wide range of free smoking cessation services. The public may also visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on smoking cessation. The DH has also developed and promulgated the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention tool to primary healthcare service providers to facilitate the early identification and management of at-risk drinkers. For information on alcohol-related harm, please visit the DH'sChange for Health website.
Source: AI-found images
