Hetao Zone Poised to Accelerate Hong Kong's Medical R&D Ambitions Through Cross-Border Clinical Trials

Hong Kong's aspirations to become a leading health and medical innovation hub are set to receive a significant boost from the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, according to medical sector lawmaker David Lam. In an interview with RTHK, Lam outlined a vision where cross-boundary collaboration with Shenzhen could fundamentally reshape the city's clinical research landscape.

Lam emphasized that expanding clinical trials is central to Hong Kong's strategy as the city prepares its first five-year development plan. The public consultation for this inaugural plan concluded on Friday.

A Population Advantage for Clinical Research

Central to Lam's argument is the sheer demographic scale offered by Greater Bay Area (GBA) collaboration. While Hong Kong has a population of approximately 7.5 million, the mainland cities of the GBA collectively represent more than 80 million people — a figure Lam noted exceeds the population of many countries worldwide.

"With more patients, with a bigger patient base, that means you can do the research quicker, so you can finish your clinical trial quicker, and then you can also radiate to other places," Lam said. "For a clinical trial that's useful for registering a drug, you need kind of international clinical trials."

He added: "If we start here and we have a population base of over 80 million, that makes clinical trial much easier than a population of 7.5 million."

Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream Strategy

Lam articulated a three-stage framework for Hong Kong's medical R&D ecosystem. The upstream phase involves providing infrastructure for pharmaceutical companies to conduct research and development. He acknowledged that "R&D is very expensive, and Hong Kong is no cheap place for R&D," underscoring the need for compelling incentives.

The midstream phase focuses on clinical trials conducted in collaboration with the Hetao area and the broader GBA, projecting trials across the entire 80-million-person population base. Lam noted that local universities and the Hospital Authority can contribute by participating in R&D efforts and expanding the patient pool through public healthcare services.

The downstream phase encompasses drug registration and marketing. Here, Lam proposed a significant policy lever: offering drugs developed at the Hetao zone priority registration under the Hong Kong Centre for the Medical Products Regulation. "If we can prioritise what we innovate, what we take part in developing, that is only reasonable. Otherwise, why should people come here for R&D?" he said.

Regulatory Independence on the Horizon

The Hong Kong Centre for the Medical Products Regulation, expected to be established by the end of this year, represents a pivotal development. Once operational, the centre will directly approve applications for registration of medical products based on clinical trial data, without requiring prior approval from other drug regulatory authorities. This regulatory independence could significantly streamline the pathway for drugs emerging from the Hetao zone.

Industry Presence and Future Prospects

Half of the world's top 10 pharmaceutical companies — including Pfizer查看公司主页 and AstraZeneca查看公司主页 — have already established operations in Hong Kong. However, Lam believes the government can do more to attract additional firms, with the priority registration proposal serving as one potential draw.

Looking ahead over the next five years, Lam expects the movement of data and biological specimens within the Hetao zone to become substantially smoother. "Hetao is a zone where the transition or the movement of these materials and resources should be much more easier," he said. "It's a contained area, but it consists of people and talents from both sides of the border. So together, they can pull together all the resources, all the data and all the specimens, and make all the research much faster and more efficient."