From July 25 to 28, the “Taiwan Life Sciences and Health Care Industry Business Mission 2023” was successfully organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the HKBMIA. President Professor Lo led the delegation alongside Vice President Dr. Augustus Chow and Executive Director Wayne Tan. Dr. Cecilia Pang, Director of LO & Associates Limited, and Director David Chan also participated in this mission.
During this visit, the delegation mainly visited and toured several top biotech and healthcare-related companies and institutions in Taiwan, including:
1.MICROBIO Group
2.Life Star International
3.National Biotechnology Research Park
4.Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center
5.Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center
6.Taidoc Technology Corp. Taidoc Technology Corp.
7.Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories of Industrial Technology Research Institute
8.EirGenix, Inc.
Pictures of the delegation's activities
After the delegation inspected MICROBIO Group's Longtan factory, MICROBIO Group prepared a banquet to entertain and engage the delegation. Representatives from both parties conducted in-depth research and discussions on how Hong Kong can strengthen cooperation in the biomedical industry and complement each other's advantages in the wake of the epidemic, with the aim of further enhancing cooperation between the two locations and establishing a new life and health industry high ground.
MICROBIO, which was founded in 2000, has experienced over a decade of growth and remains dedicated to “novel therapeutics development and human lifestyle improvement”. MICROBIO Group’s approach to innovative and responsible drug development has led to two successful drug approvals by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA). In addition to drug development, we have expanded into other markets such as top-line medical devices, functional health foods, organic agricultural products, and biotechnology venture capital. We always welcome strategic collaborations with leading research institutions, international pharmaceutical companies, and novel biotechnology platforms, all of which allow us to bridge gaps in medical treatments. It is our mission to fulfill unmet healthcare needs, and transform scientific breakthroughs into clinical research in the hopes of providing new treatment options for patients. Our core values, modesty and innovation, drive us to take initiative, stay competitive, and position us as an influential leader in the global market.
The Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization invited HKBMIA member Ming Tang, CEO of Ban Loong Holdings Limited, to attend and speak at the Bio Asia-Taiwan 2023 conference as a keynote speaker. During the speech, Mr. Tang briefly described the core business of Ban Loong Holdings and the organizational structure of Yunnan Baiyao. In addition, he discussed the current state and benefits of the biotechnology industry in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Mr. Tang introduced the delegates to the Hong Kong International Biotechnology Convention 2023 and invited them to participate in this prestigious gathering in Hong Kong.
Tang Ming serves as the keynote speaker at Bio Asia-Taiwan
On the afternoon of July 27, the entire delegation visited HKBMIA member Life Star International Limited.
Co-founder Dr. Amber Chen is an outstanding and capable entrepreneur, scientist, and strategist. In a very short amount of time, she outlined for us the unique industry ecosystem of Life Star. The company combines schools, communities, and talent training, and creates an ecosystem platform through vertical and horizontal integration to accelerate industry development. Under Amber and her team's philosophy, Life Star is not just an international biotech company, but is committed to using Taiwan's local silkworm silk protein to promote the circular economy and Zero-waste Philosophy, and hopes to drive the overall economic growth and revolutionize the sericulture industry through the development of high-value medical materials products. All of the company's products, from research and development to production, meet international standards and are of exceptional quality. With more investment and IP entry, and with Amber and the outstanding managers of Life Star, we believe that Life Star will rapidly grow into a super IP.
Professor Yuk Lam Lo was interviewed by "Global Bio & Investment" about "New Opportunities for Post-Pandemic Health Industry Cooperation between Taiwan and Hong Kong" during the mission. Concerning Taiwan and Hong Kong health industry cooperation post-pandemic, Professor Lo stated, "We anticipate the establishment of a Hong Kong FDA. Taiwan's technical prowess in medical devices, biomedical engineering, and bioinformatics enables it to provide products and services of the highest quality. Hong Kong, on the other hand, has excellent financial and business resources that can aid in the commercialization and internationalization of these products and solutions. There are numerous opportunities and prospects for Taiwan and Hong Kong to cooperate in the health industry, particularly in the areas of health management, medical data analysis, and talent development."
Interview Text: Lo Yuk Lam, President of HK Bio-Med Innotech Association: Building a Value Chain Platform for Medical Cooperation between Taiwan and Hong Kong
After nearly four years, under the joint call of Lo Yuk Lam, President of HK Bio-Med Innotech Association, and Hong Kong Productivity Council, this year's “Taiwan Life Sciences and Health Care Industry Business Mission” was expanded. Nearly 20 Hong Kong industrial, government, and academic figures attended the BIO Asia- Taiwan Exhibition 2023. This is the first in-depth exchange between the biopharmaceutical industries of Taiwan and Hong Kong after three years of pandemic border closures. In an interview with our magazine, Lo Yuk Lam, the head of the delegation, stated that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is striving to build Hong Kong into an internationally influential innovation and technology centre and has provided clear direction and significant development opportunities. Specifically targeting the cutting-edge fields of the life and health industry, the government is also investing heavily in supporting funds and incentive measures, hoping to make Hong Kong the capital-raising centre for the life sciences industry in Asia. The purpose of this visit is to learn from Taiwan's biomedical development experience and to establish exchanges and cooperation in the value chain from research and development to product commercialization. Compared to Hong Kong, Lo Yuk Lam pointed out that Taiwan's life sciences industry has developed earlier and accumulated many results and experiences in advanced technology research and development and commercialization. In addition, Taiwan's unique advantages in semiconductor and ICT manufacturing make Taiwan's biopharmaceutical industry a microcosm of the global biopharmaceutical industry, with clear research and development capabilities, transformation layout chains, and complete industrial chains. Lo Yuk Lam further stated that the Hong Kong government has already invested many resources in innovation and technology for promoting the life sciences industry. The pandemic has brought many opportunities for the development of new biomedical fields, and Taiwan's soft power is still very strong, with many places having close and enormous potential for complementary cooperation with Hong Kong. In the future, Taiwan and Hong Kong will be able to jointly create a value chain platform for transformation in high-end technologies, cell and gene therapy, neurodegenerative diseases, immunization, and infectious diseases and become the main engine for the future economic growth of the life sciences in Asia.
# Drafting “Hong Kong FDA” #
Lo Yuk Lam pointed out that the Hong Kong government has already provided funding support measures for the development of life and health technology. In addition to the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund (ITVF) of HKD 2 billion set up by the Innovation and Technology Commission specifically for innovative technology start-ups, various subsidies are also provided for research talents. Now, up to HKD 100 million (approximately TWD 400 million) in funding is provided for enterprises or projects that can be transformed from high-end technology into goods. Therefore, although there are still many difficulties and differences in politics, Lo Yuk Lam believes that cooperation between civil society in the biopharmaceutical industry remains very active, "which is a very good opportunity for Taiwan-Hong Kong cooperation. We have strong confidence in continuing to explore cooperation in the future." he said. Currently, Lo Yuk Lam, who is also the strategic advisor to the President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is also drafting a set of "Hong Kong version of FDA" regulations for the Hong Kong government. In the future, this set of regulations will strive to work together with the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA) to complete the clinical pre-transformation infrastructure for the life sciences in Hong Kong. It is expected that clinical pre-regulatory personnel training courses will be opened as soon as January next year, and it is planned to promote the establishment of a new medical school (Medical School) within three years to mainly cultivate medical doctor talents who can participate in cutting-edge technology development. Lo Yuk Lam emphasized that Hong Kong now has five universities ranked among the top 70 in the world and two top 40 medical schools in the world. It also has four clinical trial bases recognized by the NMPA of China. The data related to clinical trials has already been recognized by international relevant agencies. If the links in the transformation of medical science can be made more complete, coupled with Taiwan's research and development capabilities, the two places will definitely have the ability to jointly exert their advantages in the life and health technology field towards the international community. The HK Bio-Med Innotech Association has been making every effort to promote life science innovation. Last year, it collected stories and experiences from 30 Hong Kong biotechnology innovation technology companies, covering artificial intelligence medical, biopharmaceutical, medical care, Chinese medicine, etc., and published " Life Science Stories in Hong Kong 2022". It is expected that through sharing industry experiences, the potential of Hong Kong's life science industry and its development can be demonstrated.
This visit to Taiwan is the first in-depth exchange between the biopharmaceutical industries of Taiwan and Hong Kong after three years of pandemic border closures. We found that Taiwan's biopharmaceutical industry is a microcosm of the global biopharmaceutical industry, with clear research and development capabilities, transformation layout chains, and complete industrial chains. It can be said that Taiwan's soft power in the field of biomedicine is still very strong, and there is great potential for complementary cooperation with Hong Kong in many areas. Although there are still many difficulties and differences in politics, cooperation between civil society in the biopharmaceutical industry remains very active, and there is strong confidence in continuing to explore cooperation in the future.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Hong Kong Productivity Council for organising this visit, and we are eager to continue working together to promote exchange, cooperation, and continuous growth in the biopharmaceutical industry. The members of the delegation attached great significance to this trip to Taiwan, and during the visit they expressed their hopes and expectations for cooperation and collaboration between Taiwan and Hong Kong in areas including compliance, patents, and law. We hope that the Hong Kong Productivity Council can bring more information back to Hong Kong and assist the Hong Kong SAR government and relevant departments in promoting the construction of biopharmaceutical infrastructure and preserving a healthy business environment.