On 21 August, the State Council announced that it had approved in principle a plan to accelerate opening up and innovation across the entire biopharmaceutical industrial chain in the China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

The FDA has issued an import alert that it said aims to help stop imports of potentially dangerous GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) active pharmaceutical ingredients from unverified foreign sources.

Hong Kong has many long-established and reputable proprietary Chinese medicine brands. With the transitional registration system for proprietary Chinese medicines ending in late June, the regulatory framework for Chinese medicine has entered a new phase. Additionally, the Mainland has implemented simplified approval procedures for the market registration of traditional proprietary Chinese medicines registered in Hong Kong, facilitating Hong Kong businesses in expanding into the Mainland market. These developments are expected to have a positive impact on Hong Kong’s proprietary Chinese medicine industry.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a temporary order adopting import and export restrictions on certain benzimidazole-opioid substances.

The Administrative Committee of the Guangzhou Development District and the People’s Government of the Huangpu District of Guangzhou Municipality recently issued a notice outlining certain measures to promote high-quality development in the biomedicine industry (Sui Pu Fu Gui No. 9 [2025]). These measures, collectively referred to as the “Biomedicine 3.0” policy, apply to enterprises, institutions, unincorporated organisations and other entities in the biomedicine industry, as well as individuals working in such entities, in the Guangzhou Development District and industry parks under its management (together referred to as “the District”) in compliance with relevant regulations. The measures took effect on 23 July 2025 and will remain in force for three years.

Lack of familiarity, a reluctance to experiment and even widespread mistrust are hindering the take-up of AI-enabled tech by the elderly.

Hungary has a robust academic infrastructure, particularly in university spin-offs, HandInScan Zrt. is one of them which founded in 2012. Global Sales Director Dezső Nagy and Business Development Manager Csilla Nemeth discuss the company’s evolution from a startup to an international enterprise with users in more than 30 economies, the experience of working with distributors to increase market penetration, and its future business development.

Hungary’s medical devices sector, dominated by innovative SMEs, is a key player in Europe’s MedTech industry, exporting 85% of its production, primarily to the EU. The competitiveness strategy aims to boost domestic production and sustainability while navigating EU MDR challenges. Opportunities for collaboration with Hong Kong include leveraging trade networks, regulatory expertise, and investment to enhance global market access and innovation.

In order to promote the integration of technological and industrial innovation in the field of biomedicine and to accelerate the development, industrialisation and application of innovative drugs and medical devices, Guangdong’s Department of Industry and Information Technology, Health Commission, Healthcare Security Administration and Medical Products Administration have jointly issued a first-batch catalogue of innovative drugs and medical devices approved in the province, in accordance with the Action Plan on Further Promoting the High-Quality Development of Guangdong’s Biopharmaceutical Industry.

Including statistics of Medicine and Medical Device Sales of China in the past 6 years.