Focusing on Development of Global Industry

Facilitating Harmonization and Reliance of Medical Device Regulatory

The 1st GHWP Innovation Medical Device Symposium Held Grandly

On April 12, the First GHWP Innovation Medical Device symposium was held in conjunction with the 89th China International Medical Equipment Fair, attracting more than 200 experts from regulatory authorities and industries of GHWP member countries and regions.

Mr. Gao Guobiao, Party Secretary of the Center for Medical Device Evaluation of NMPA and member of the GHWP Strategic Advisory Board, attended and delivered a speech. The symposium was moderated by Mr. Bryan So. Executive Secretary of GHWP, Ms. Eun Hee Cho, Vice Chair of GHWP, Mr. Li Chao, Managing Director of Reed Sinopharm, Mr. Alfred Kwek, Member of the Strategic Advisory Board of GHWP, and Ms. Miang Tankasemsub, Co-Chair of the GHWP Technical Committee, attended the meeting.

Ms. Eun Hee Cho mentioned in her opening speech, "In order to further enhance harmonization in the regulation of innovative medical devices and further promote innovation in medical devices industries, GHWP and Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions are co-organizing this innovative medical device symposium." Ms. Eun Hee Cho gave a detailed introduction of the background and intention of the symposium.

Mr. Li Chao said, "CMEF is covering the whole industry value chain, which has nearly 5,000 exhibitors, and many of the exhibitors release innovative technology on-site. The joint purpose of the collaboration is to practice the principle of GHWP, promoting regulatory harmonization, convergence and reliance, which will empower the industry and the governance to seek more synergies of the internationalization and localization."

Mr. Gao Guobao pointed out that the medical device industry is an internationally recognized growing industry. In the era of globalization and information technology, the medical device industry is in a key stage of transformation from high-speed growth to high-quality development. In recent years, under the new technology development in artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, bio-materials, and medical independent software, it requires the collaboration of all regulators and the industry to promote the harmonazation, convergence, and reliance of global medical device regulations.

In Mr. Alfred Kwek’s presentation on Global Medical Device Innovation, he mentioned that medical device innovation is a collective effort of the global technological development in the medical field. The rapid transformation and application of advanced technology is a major challenge for regulators in various countries.

Following the opening speech, representatives of regulatory authorities, GHWP representatives and industry representatives from China, Malaysia, Japan and Korea shared and discussed in depth on innovative medical device regulatory policy, and regulatory reliance and industry globalization and industry achievements.

The closing speaker of the symposium, Ms.Miang Tankasemsub, expressed the hope that this symposium will to further drive synergies to the industry, share challenges in the process, innovate together, continue to carry forward the spirit of cooperation, achieve greater cooperation, and make more contributions to global healthcare in the future.

This symposium attracted several members of the Mozambican health system participated, including Sambo Ernesto, Head of the Procurement Department of the central medical store of the Ministry of Health of Mozambique, Joao Cassiano Carlos, Head of the Central Health Product Evaluation Department of the Division of Evaluation of Medicines, Biological and Health Products. The symposium gave them a more comprehensive understanding of GHWP and would further enhance their understanding in medical device industry of China.

In addition to the symposium, a GHWP thematic exhibition area was set up at the 89th CMEF, focusing on displaying the innovative medical device regulatory policies of Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea and China. The exhibition empowered industrial innovation and globalization, promoted regulatory harmonization, attracting a large number of medical device upstream and downstream related experts to visit.

The GHWP Innovation Medical Device Symposium is the first strategic collaboration between GHWP and CMEF. It has built an exchange platform for innovation practice of both global leading enterprises and local excellent innovation representatives. It has also effectively promoted the harmonization and reliance of global medical device regulation.