Chen Shifei, Deputy Commissioner of China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), attended the 2021 Summit of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) held online on Dec 1 in Beijing. 

Other participants included related officials from the NMPA's Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation, Department of Drug Registration, Department of Drug Regulation, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, Center for Drug Evaluation, Center for Food and Drug Inspection, Center for Drug Reevaluation, Center for Medical Device Evaluation, Information Center, Institute of Executive Development, News and Publicity Center, China Center for Food and Drug International Exchange. 

At the summit, attendees had in-depth discussions on issues regarding regulation of COVID-19 treatment products and vaccines, the challenges faced by international organizations amid the pandemic and improvement of production capacity. 

They also did research on topics such as regulatory flexibility, digital transformation of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) inspections and clinical trials, crisis management, regulatory trust, vaccine confidence, antibiotic resistance, innovation networks, pharmacovigilance, supply chain integrity and communication.

Chen said the NMPA hopes to promote discussions on important topics through the ICMRA platform and its working group to accelerate regulatory innovation, as well as share regulatory experience and practices in combating the virus with other ICMRA members and help regulatory authorities from various countries play roles in common regulatory issues and challenges to contribute to global public health through cooperation with all parties.