Boao zone boasts speedy imported medicine, medical device approval

To date, 51 types of imported medicine and medical equipment in urgent clinical need have been approved to be used at Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Boao town, which has benefited 253 patients.

This was announced by the Information Office of Hainan Provincial People's Government at a press conference on Jan 12.

Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone is one of the three earliest industrial parks in Hainan that promotes speedy examination and approval of imported medicine and medical equipment.

The Hainan Health Commission has set up a special division responsible for the examination and approval of all medicine used in Lecheng pilot zone to raise efficiency.

The local customs authority has simplified customs clearance, allowing approved medicine and medical equipment to enter bonded warehouses before customs inspection and verification.

Fifty-one types of imported medicine and medical equipment in urgent clinical need have been approved to be used at Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, according to a press conference on Jan 12. [Photo/hi.people.cn]

In addition, the Hainan Medical Products Administration also reviewed application materials of medicine and medical equipment, as well as guided manufacturers and agencies to improve their materials in advance.

The approval time has now been cut to one to three working days through the collaboration of multiple departments.

This will shorten time and reduce cost for new foreign medicine and equipment to enter the Chinese market, thus encouraging international pharmaceutical companies to bring their advanced products to China.

Patients suffering from serious illnesses that are eager for the latest drugs or medical devices no longer need to look for drugs abroad through agencies.

In the first 11 months of 2019, Lecheng pilot zone received 75,000 visitors, up 134 percent year-on-year. The business revenue of in-house medical institutions thereafter grew by 75 percent year-on-year to about 640 million yuan ($93 million).