China’s Ministry of Commerce, National Health Commission, and National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) have jointly released a “Notification on Carrying out Pilot Work to Expand the Opening Up of the Medical Field,” signaling a significant shift in the country’s healthcare landscape. The notification outlines measures aimed at further opening up the biotech and hospital sectors to foreign entities.
In the realm of biotechnology, foreign-invested enterprises are now permitted to engage in the development and application of human stem cells and genetic diagnosis and treatment technologies within the free trade pilot zones in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and the Hainan Free Trade Port. This allowance encompasses product registration, listing, and production, with the stipulation that all products registered, marketed, and approved for production can be utilized nationwide. Foreign-invested enterprises are urged to conduct such pilot projects in compliance with relevant national laws and regulations, including human genetic resources management, clinical trials (including international multi-center clinical trials), drug registration, drug production, and ethics reviews.
Additionally, the notification paves the way for the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in select regions, excluding traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and barring mergers and acquisitions of public hospitals. The cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and the entire island of Hainan are slated to allow such establishments. Detailed conditions, requirements, and procedures for setting up wholly foreign-owned hospitals will be communicated in a subsequent notice. – Flcube.com
