Dear Mr Edmunds,

Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-01/2019)

Our department has received your application for access to information on
8 May 2019.  Your application is now under processing.  According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 28
May 2019.  In the meantime, please contact me at 3904 9105 if you have any
enquiry.

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health

From:        Scott Edmunds <[FOI #366 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Department of Health <[Department of Health request email]>
Date:        08/05/2019 17:52
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - HKCMMS listing criteria

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Department of Health,

I would like to enquire about the procedure for listing and testing
products under the DH Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS)
Office. While the products listed as part of the HKCMMS are tested for
safety and purity, is any evidence required on the medical efficacy of
these products? And as medical products is any independent work carried
out to test if they have any medical efficacy whatsoever? If so is it
possible to view the assessments for the latest additions to the register?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #366 email]

Is [Department of Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Mr. Edmunds,
Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-01/2019)

Thank you for your email dated 8 May 2019.  Please find our reply as
follows.

The Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMM Standards) project
was first launched in 2002 by the Department of Health to develop
standards for commonly used Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) in Hong Kong,
which covers crude herbs such as Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Radix
Panacis Quinquefolii.

Among others, the International Advisory Board (IAB) consists of local and
international renowned experts.  The IAB was established to give advice on
the principles, methodologies, parameters and analytical methods for the
development of HKCMM Standards.  It also decides the contents of the HKCMM
Standards, selects the research institutions to take up the research and
laboratory work, and determine the target herbs.

Crude herbs which are commonly used in the local community, of
international concern in respect of their safety and quality, of high
economic value in the local market would be selected into the HKCMM
Standards project.  Priority would be accorded to those crude herbs
scheduled in the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Chapter 549), Laws of Hong
Kong.  The standards developed for each of the CMM monograph will include
relevant parameters, as endorsed by the IAB, namely –

Source – providing the botanical origin and family name of the medicinal
plant, the used part of the plant and its condition;

Description – providing the macroscopic and organoleptic characteristics
including form, size, colour, texture, fracture, gross internal
structures, odour/smell, taste and other relevant information of a CMM;

Identification – providing for the verification of a CMM by means of
microscopic examination of cross sections and powders, physical and
chemical tests and chromatographic analysis, such as Thin Layer
Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography Fingerprinting;

Tests – referring to the qualitative and quantitative detection of heavy
metals, pesticide residues, mycotoxins (aflatoxins), sulphur dioxide
residues, foreign matter, ash, water content and other chemical components
in the CMM which should be monitored;

Extractives – referring to the soluble contents of a CMM as extracted by
water, ethanol or other suitable solvents; and

Assay – providing the quantitative determination of the active ingredients
or markers present in a CMM.  

Research institutions with relevant capacity and capability will conduct
the laboratory and research work, with a Scientific Committee of HKCMM
Standards project monitoring the progress and the IAB to endorse the
research results.  The completed standards will then be published as HKCMM
Standards.

As of April 2019, 9 volumes of HKCMM Standards have been published,
covering reference standards for a total of 299 CMM commonly used in Hong
Kong.

For further information on HKCMM Standards, please visit the website of
Chinese Medicine Division at
[1]http://www.cmd.gov.hk/html/eng/GCMTI/hkc....

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health
 

From: CMD Registry/DH/HKSARG
To: [FOI #366 email]
Cc: [Department of Health request email]
Date: 17/05/2019 10:07
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - HKCMMS listing criteria
Sent by: Rita WM SHECK

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr Edmunds,

Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-01/2019)

Our department has received your application for access to information on
8 May 2019.  Your application is now under processing.  According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 28
May 2019.  In the meantime, please contact me at 3904 9105 if you have any
enquiry.

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health

From:        Scott Edmunds <[FOI #366 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Department of Health <[Department of Health request email]>
Date:        08/05/2019 17:52
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - HKCMMS listing criteria

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Department of Health,

I would like to enquire about the procedure for listing and testing
products under the DH Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS)
Office. While the products listed as part of the HKCMMS are tested for
safety and purity, is any evidence required on the medical efficacy of
these products? And as medical products is any independent work carried
out to test if they have any medical efficacy whatsoever? If so is it
possible to view the assessments for the latest additions to the register?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #366 email]

Is [Department of Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[3]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cmd.gov.hk/html/eng/GCMTI/hkc...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
3. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Mr Edmunds,

Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-02/2019)

Our department has received your application for access to information on
21 June 2019.  Your application is now under processing.  According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 11
July 2019.  In the meantime, please contact me at 3904 9105 if you have
any enquiry.

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health

show quoted sections

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-02/2019)

Thank you for your follow up enquiry dated 21 June 2019.

As we have stated in our reply dated on 27 May 2019, the Hong Kong Chinese
Materia Medica (HKCMM) Standards project aims to develop standards for
commonly used Chinese Materia Medica/ crude herbs in Hong Kong to ensure
their safe use and quality.  As such, the standards developed for each of
the CMM monograph covers parameters related to the proper identification
of the CMM, setting limits for the control of heavy metals, pesticide
residues, mycotoxins (aflatoxins) and sulphur dioxide to protect the
public from their adverse effect as well as setting limits for the control
of foreign matter, ash and water content to ensure the quality of CMM (for
example, to avoid molding and bacterial growth from excessive water
content in the CMM).  The efficacy of Chinese medicines is not under the
scope of the HKCMM Standards project.  

For further information on HKCMM Standards, please visit the website of
Chinese Medicine Division at
[1]http://www.cmd.gov.hk/html/eng/GCMTI/hkc...

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health

From:        CMD Registry/DH/HKSARG
To:        [FOI #366 email]
Cc:        [Department of Health request email]
Date:        28/06/2019 10:19
Subject:        Re: Freedom of Information request - HKCMMS listing
criteria
Sent by:        Rita WM SHECK

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr Edmunds,

Code on Access to Information
Re：HKCMMS Listing Criteria (Application No.: COA-02/2019)

Our department has received your application for access to information on
21 June 2019.  Your application is now under processing.  According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 11
July 2019.  In the meantime, please contact me at 3904 9105 if you have
any enquiry.

Yours sincerely,
(Ms Rita SHECK)
for Director of Health

show quoted sections