UM, Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau sign cooperation agreements on third-party technical assessment of proprietary Chinese medicines and testing of Chinese medicine

The University of Macau (UM) and the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau (ISAF) of the Macao SAR Government have signed a cooperation agreement on third-party technical assessment of proprietary Chinese medicines and a cooperation agreement on third-party testing of Chinese medicine.

Under the agreements, both the Centre for Pharmaceutical Regulatory Sciences (CPRS), UM, and the Macao Centre for Testing of Chinese Medicine (MCTCM), UM, will be third-party bodies recognised by ISAF. CPRS will provide third-party technical assessment services for the registration of proprietary Chinese medicines, and offer professional consultancy services covering the fields of pharmacy, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical research. MCTCM will provide third-party Chinese medicine testing services for enterprises in Macao and beyond. It will also support the bureau with testing services for proprietary Chinese medicines upon registration and after launch.

In the presence of Ao Ieong U, secretary for social affairs and culture, Yonghua Song, rector of UM, and Choi Peng Cheong, president of ISAF, signed the cooperation agreements.

Song said that Chinese medicine is a distinctive and key area of focus for UM. Through various technology and research platforms, such as the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine, and CPRS, the university continuously addresses scientific issues in Chinese medicine and translates research results into products. The university is also committed to promoting the internationalisation and modernisation of Chinese medicine through interdisciplinary research, thereby supporting the development of the Chinese medicine industry in Macao.

Choi highlighted the importance of third-party assessment and testing bodies in ensuring product safety and promoting industry development. He expressed hope that the cooperation between UM and ISAF will promote innovation in Chinese medicine, attract more Chinese medicine enterprises to Macao, and facilitate the development of more Chinese medicine products, thus contributing to the growth of the Chinese medicine and ‘big health’ industry in Macao.