Hong Kong revs up medical hub ambition as city tests HIV vaccine
Analysts say new clinical trial institute will help expand cross-border research and development
Hong Kong has taken a major step to fulfil its ambition to be a medical hub with its own drug approval authority by opening its first clinical trial institute located in a cross-border tech zone, with an inaugural test set to be on an HIV vaccine.
Analysts hailed the launch of the government-led institute on Thursday, which they said could help fuel cross-border research and attract multinational pharmaceutical companies seeking to carry out clinical trials, helping transform the city into a regional drug research centre.
The Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute started operations on Thursday at a 7,000 sq ft site in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.
The institute offers a one-stop support platform for clinical trials, with a biobank managed by the Hospital Authority and the Chinese University of Hong Kong able to store more than 400,000 samples of tissues, blood, cells and DNA.
The facility, wholly owned by the government and operated by the University of Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, will also coordinate resources for the city’s public and private healthcare sectors, as well as establish a collaboration network in the bay area.
“It is a magnet, coordinating Hong Kong’s precious clinical trial resources and creating a one-stop platform to support research and development companies,” Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said.
