The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a notice of intent to publish a temporary order placing certain benzimidazole-opioid substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

Protective medical industry had undergone a process of weeding out the weak and retaining the strong. As the market consolidates and evolves rapidly, Action Medical has expanded its Hong Kong production line of quality face masks and developed its local and overseas sales business in earnest. Using Hong Kong as a base, it is also actively setting foot into related protective medical product fields and expanding its business into emerging markets.

On 20 June 2025, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced that it has decided to exclude Chinese companies from EU government purchases of medical devices exceeding €5 million. This measure follows the conclusions of the first investigation under the EU’s International Procurement Instrument.

Medical services extend beyond traditional treatments to include a comprehensive array of healthcare offerings, such as assisted reproduction. In an interview with HKTDC Research, Incinta Medical Group elaborated that assisted reproduction services encompass several specialized medical areas. With its diversified biopharmaceutical industry and international business environment, Hong Kong is strategically positioned to support the company's efforts in pursuing technological collaborations for further expansion.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other government departments jointly released an Implementation Plan for the Smart Digital Transformation of the Pharmaceutical Industry (2025-2030) on 24 April. The plan aims to formulate or revise 30 smart digital standards for the pharmaceutical industry, develop and promote over 100 high-performance products in areas such as testing equipment and pharmaceutical industry software, create more than 100 typical scenarios for the application of smart digital technologies in the pharmaceutical industry, and establish over 100 smart digital medical device factories by 2027. Main tasks include strengthening the development and application of smart digital products in the pharmaceutical industry, launching pilot programmes for an “AI-empowered whole pharmaceutical industry chain”, and encouraging leading pharmaceutical companies to form consortiums with healthcare institutions, scientific research institutions, upstream and downstream enterprises and large clients and establish application scenarios across the whole pharmaceutical industry chain. Smart digital pharmaceutical industry zones will be established and guided to focus on aspects such as smart management and network collaboration. Efforts will also be made on solicitation, selection and proficiency testing in relation to smart regulatory tools and on promoting the sharing of information in the industry.

In accordance with Administrative Measures for Registration and Record-Filing of Medical Devices, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released a 2025 edition of its Catalogue of Medical Devices Exempted from Clinical Evaluation on 13 May. The catalogue replaced the 2023 edition and took effect on the same day. The new edition covers 1,047 medical devices exempted from clinical evaluation. Of these, 28 are new additions. These include personalised 3D-printed surgical models, delivery-type intracranial balloon dilatation catheters and non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitors. There are also 25 “product description revisions”, three “product name revisions” and two “product name and description revisions”. The Catalogue of Medical Devices Exempted from Clinical Evaluation (2025 Edition) is available on the NMPA’s website at https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/xxgk/ggtg/ylqxggtg/ylqxqtggtg/20250513095643145.html

On 2 June 2025, the majority of EU Member State governments are reported to have approved a proposal to limit the access of Chinese companies to the European public procurement market. Pending the confirmation of the European Commission (Commission), the proposal aims to restrict access of Chinese medical device makers to any EU public procurement contract worth more than €5 million for the next five years. According to the Commission, this action is taken in response to the actions of the government of the Chinese mainland and seeks to level the playing field for domestic companies, which reportedly face restrictions when entering the market of the Chinese mainland.

On 8 May, the National Health Commission released its Geriatric Medicine Department Establishment and Management Guide (2025 Edition), which took effect on the same day. The document provides guidelines for the establishment and operation, staffing and management of such departments. The guide specifies that departments of geriatric medicine shall have venues, facilities, equipment, medicines and technical capabilities commensurate with the level, functions and tasks of their medical institutions. General hospitals shall ensure the sustainable development of geriatrics and form stable geriatric medical teams with specific duties for all posts to provide safe and effective medical services for the elderly. Departments of geriatric medicine shall make standardised and comprehensive geriatric assessments and formulate and implement palliative care plans for elderly patients as well as prevention and treatment plans in relation to falls, pressure injuries and aspiration. The department shall also implement patient safety measures specifically for elderly people in accordance with institutions’ overall safety requirements and industrial standards in relation to patient activity areas, as well as sitting and sleeping facilities.

VR headsets are now being used by therapists to tackle a number of age-related ailments, including dementia, anxiety and depression.

AI products were the star attraction at a recent Guangzhou dental expo, while oral aesthetics and young teeth also featured prominently.