A meeting was held on June 9 via video link to kick off the China-UK drug regulatory cooperation project. Participants of the meeting included Chen Shifei, Deputy Commissioner of China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), June Raine, Chief Executive of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and John Edwards, British Trade Commissioner for China.

Under the framework of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in drugs and medical devices signed by the drug regulatory agencies of China and the UK in Jan 2018, the two sides, after consultations, have identified areas of collaboration of mutual interest.

The meeting adopted the plan for the China-UK drug regulatory cooperation project in 2021 to push forward technical exchanges in areas of drug review, inspection and post-marketing monitoring for better mutual understanding and deeper cooperation.

After the meeting, the two sides jointly held the first exchange event of the cooperation project. Dr. Dan O’Connor from the Licensing Division of the MHRA introduced a series of flexible regulatory measures taken by the British side to support the development of innovative drugs and to improve drug accessibility.

Officials from China's NMPA and its affiliated institutions, the UK’s MHRA and the British Embassy in China attended the meeting and the event.