How significant is clinical drug research?

Professor Chak-sing Lau, Dean of LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong, points out that we can discover new drugs that help patients through clinical drug research. When a drug is put on trial at the patient level, a lot of work has already been done behind the scenes.

Recently, Hong Kong was accepted as an observer of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). "If we can be a member of ICH, we will work with other FDA, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), and other organisations in the region. This is where the advantage lies," said Professor Lau.

From his point of view, with an organised health care system, Hong Kong has done very well on medical records and drug regulations. In the future, the academic sector needs to prioritize commercialisation of research and cultivate clinical research talents to facilitate Hong Kong becoming a clinical innovation hub.