Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

First batch of fund managers selected, in principle, of Innovation and Technology Venture Fund enhanced scheme     “The ITVF enhanced scheme aims to, through a top-level design, leverage more market capital to invest in local innovation and technology (I&T) start-ups. It is a significant attempt by the current Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to reform our investment approach for I&T industries. The enhanced scheme provides practical experience and reference for the Government to introduce more market-oriented investment tools in the future,” said Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong.

     “The ITC is very pleased to partner with these nine fund management companies with a view to driving investments into start-ups of strategic industries. By leveraging the expertise of professional fund managers, the enhanced scheme shall attract more market capital in order to provide more financing and other support for start-ups and further enrich the local I&T ecosystem. We look forward to the selected fund managers completing their fundraising as soon as possible to match with government capital, so that the funds can commence operations early and start investing in technology start-ups,” said a spokesman for the Commission.
      
     The ITC received 65 applications following an open invitation for the ITVF enhanced scheme. Selection of the abovementioned nine companies as the first batch of fund managers was made in principle based on assessment criteria including the applicants’ background, team experience, investment strategy and processes, investment performance, fee structures and its industry network and support both in and outside Hong Kong, and after consulting the ITVF Advisory Committee’s advice.
      
     Each selected fund manager will serve as a general partner (GP) of a fund and has to raise at least $450 million in non-government capital, and establish a limited partnership fund in Hong Kong with a minimum fund size of $600 million (including the Government’s contribution). The fund managers will, as the GPs, be responsible for managing the daily operations of the fund, investing in target start-ups in accordance with the investment mandate, providing support to investee start-ups and preparing regular reports. The Government, as one of the limited partners, will commit one dollar for every three dollars raised from the market on a matching basis, with a contribution ranging from $150 million to $250 million for each fund. Upon the successful raising of capital and fulfillment of relevant regulations and requirements, the Government, in its capacity as a limited partner, will enter into the limited partnership agreement of the funds with the fund managers.
      
     The $2 billion ITVF was set up to encourage private investment in local I&T start-ups. Under the ITVF enhanced scheme, the Government will redeploy at most $1.5 billion to set up funds jointly with the market, on a matching basis, to invest in start-ups of three strategic industries, namely (a) AI and data science, (b) life and health technology, and (c) advanced manufacturing and new energy. Details are available on the ITVF website (www.itf.gov.hk/l-eng/ITVF.aspIssued at HKT 14:00

Relocation of some EPD offices completed      
     An EPD spokesman said, “Divisions including the Administration Division, Water Quality Management Division and Air Quality Management Division of the EPD are being relocated to the new premises in batches from December 2025 to the end of April 2026, allowing personnel originally scattered across different locations to be centralised into a single location for more efficient operations.”
      
     To facilitate the relocation, the public service counter currently located at 33/F, Revenue Tower, Wan Chai, will be closed after office hours on April 29, 2026 (Wednesday) and will resume services at 12/F, North Tower, Tseung Kwan O Government Offices, on May 4, 2026 (Monday). The address of the abovementioned new offices is as follows:
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North Tower, Tseung Kwan O Government Offices
30 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O
New Territories
      
     For the new addresses and office hours of the EPD offices, please visit the EPD website at www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/top.htmlIssued at HKT 12:00

Two more new drugs approved for registration under “1+” mechanism      
Two new drugs approved
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     The “1+” mechanism has been implemented since November 1, 2023, to facilitate the registration of new drugs used in the treatment of serious or rare diseases in Hong Kong. With effect from November 1, 2024, the mechanism was extended to cover all new drugs, including new chemical or biological entities, new indications, vaccines, and advanced therapy products. New drugs supported by local clinical data and recognised by local experts may apply for registration in Hong Kong by submitting evidence of approval from one reference drug regulatory authority (instead of two previously required).
      
     The two new drugs mentioned above have been approved by the drug regulatory authority in the United States and submitted for registration under the “1+” mechanism. After evaluating the clinical data and relevant information provided by the applicant, and consulting local experts, the Registration Committee under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong concluded that the drugs met the required standards of safety, efficacy, and quality, and approved their registration in Hong Kong. The Department of Health (DH) has notified the applicant of the approval result.
      
Paving the way towards primary evaluation
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     The DH has actively promoted the “1+” mechanism through various channels and has so far received more than 804 enquiries from over 207 pharmaceutical companies, including those from overseas and the Mainland. Many companies have expressed interest in submitting applications for registration of their products, including advanced therapy products, under the expanded “1+” mechanism. Since the launch of the pre-application consultation service in March last year, the DH has organised multiple briefing seminars and workshops, and introduced pre-application meetings in December last year to improve efficiency in processing applications.
      
     The “1+” mechanism strengthens Hong Kong’s drug approval capability and supports the development of related software, hardware and talent, paving the way for the implementation of “primary evaluation”. The DH began the phased implementation of “primary evaluation” for new drug registration on March 31, 2026. The initial phase covers applications for the registration of drugs containing chemical entities already registered in Hong Kong, with extended applications such as new indications, new strengths, new posology, new dosages forms. The goal is to achieve full coverage of all pharmaceutical products by 2030, enabling Hong Kong to independently assess and approve the safety and efficacy of new drugs based on clinical data, thereby expediting the introduction of innovative medical products and realising the vision of “good drugs and medical devices for use in Hong Kong”, benefitting patients.
      
     The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address announced that the Government will accelerate reforms to the regulatory system for drugs and medical devices, consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an international hub for medical innovation. The DH will expedite the “1+” mechanism for new drugs, piloting priority evaluation and approval of innovative drugs recommended by the Hospital Authority for the treatment of severe or rare diseases, thereby accelerating patient access to advanced therapies. By the end of 2026, the DH will establish the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation to progressively build a robust approval system, providing strong momentum for the development and market expansion of the healthcare industry in Hong Kong, the Mainland, and beyond, transforming Hong Kong into an international hub for medical innovation.
Issued at HKT 17:40

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DH to provide free measles vaccinations to eligible airport staff starting tomorrow to enhance herd immunity within airport community 
Follow-up on measles cluster involving airport backend support staff
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     The CHP recently announced a measles cluster involving three backend support staff responsible for aircraft repair and maintenance. All three work for the same company. As of 1pm today, no new cases of measles had been recorded.　
      
     “The CHP’s epidemiological investigation indicates that the source of infection was the confirmed case announced on April 6 
     The workplace associated with this measles cluster has about 2 500 employees, approximately 900 of whom are non-local residents. Data collected during the epidemiological investigation revealed that around 30 per cent of the employees are unsure whether they are immune to measles. As of 1 pm today, the CHP had provided vaccination services to more than 370 employees of the company concerned. So far, no secondary transmission among close contacts has been detected.
 
Measles vaccination booth at airport
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     Currently, measles outbreaks continue to occur worldwide. Given that airport staff frequently come into contact with large numbers of travellers and that a higher proportion of employees in the airport community are not born locally and may not have received the measles vaccine during childhood, the risk of measles transmission is relatively high. During the investigation into the recent cluster, the CHP found that approximately 30 per cent of the airport staff, especially those who were not born in Hong Kong, were unsure whether they had completed the two-dose measles vaccination series. In 2019, Hong Kong International Airport experienced a measles outbreak involving airport staff. To control the outbreak at that time, the CHP arranged a one-off measles vaccination for airport staff. In order to prevent another measles outbreak among airport staff, the CHP will set up a vaccination booth at the airport starting tomorrow to provide local airport staff with free measles vaccination. The CHP and the Airport Authority Hong Kong will co-ordinate and arrange for eligible airport staff from various companies to visit the vaccination booth in an orderly manner.
 
     Dr Tsui urged all airport staff, especially those non-locally born people, to review their vaccination records as soon as possible. The measles vaccination service targets Hong Kong airport staff who have not received two doses of the measles vaccine and have never had measles. If a Hong Kong airport employee has undergone a blood test confirming a positive reaction to measles antibodies (IgG), vaccination is not required.
 
Non-airport staff should also review their vaccination records
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     Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH’s Maternal and Child Health Centres and School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most people in Hong Kong are immune to measles.
 
     However, since measles outbreaks are currently occurring in many regions around the world, Hong Kong, as a city with a high volume of international travel, still faces the potential risk of importation of the measles virus and its further spread in the local community. A small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-locally born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under 1 year old who have not yet received the first dose of the measles vaccine.
      
     In response to the global rise in measles cases and the risk of imported cases, the CHP sent a letter to all doctors in Hong Kong earlier, informing them of the latest situation regarding measles and urging them to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases. In addition to the airport industry mentioned above, the CHP has also sent a letter to foreign domestic helper agencies earlier, encouraging foreign domestic helpers to receive the measles vaccine to protect their health and prevent the spread of the virus in the community.
 
     The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If travellers returning from places with a high incidence or an outbreak of measles develop symptoms of measles (e.g. fever and rash), they should seek medical advice immediately and avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially pregnant women and infants under 1 year old. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread.
 
     The Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme introduced a measles vaccine for the first time in 1967. Since then, the incidence of measles has gradually decreased. People born and raised in Hong Kong before 1967 can be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in Hong Kong at that time. People born in Hong Kong in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination, or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, should consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles.

     Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
      For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP’s measles thematic pageIssued at HKT 17:36

Phishing instant messages and incoming calls related to Alipay Financial Services (HK) Limited      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that anyone who has provided his or her personal information or account credentials, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the instant messages or calls concerned, should contact the relevant SVF licensee, and report to the Police or contact the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Police at 18222.
Issued at HKT 17:31

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