On 1 July, the National Healthcare Security Administration and the National Health Commission jointly announced multiple measures to support the high-quality development of innovative drugs. Priority is to be given to supporting innovative drug research and development (R&D), the inclusion of new drugs in insurance drug catalogues and their use in clinical application, diversifying payment channels for innovative drugs, and more.
The increasing emphasis on healthcare by most countries is strengthening the global demand for medical supplies, while worldwide trade networks are vital links driving the development of the industry. In light of this, HKTDC Research interviewed Savewo Ltd at the 16th Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair.
The healthcare sector is undergoing a dynamic transformation, fuelled by breakthroughs in biotechnology and innovations in life sciences. During the HKTDC Asia Summit on Global Health, held alongside the 16th HK International Medical and Healthcare Fair, an on-site survey was conducted from 26-28 May 2025, to obtain professional insights on the industry’s outlook.
As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly important role in people’s daily lives, the senior-care products market is no exception. According to Hanshin Technology Limited, a Hong Kong smart-technology company and an exhibitor at the 16th Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, the elderly face various daily challenges while products empowered by AI technology can help improve their quality of life and reshape their lifestyles.
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