China, U.S. agree on joint supervision of medical trade

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and U.S. regulators will jointly supervise bilateral trade in drugs and medical devices, starting with 18 items, said a spokeswoman with China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) here Wednesday.

The SFDA signed a safety agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday, "a step forward to provide safe medicines and devices for the people of both countries," Yan Jiangying told a press conference.

In the first stage, China will list eight types of drugs and medical devices that the U.S. government should focus on, while the U.S. would designate 10 items on a list for China, she said.

"The lists will expand, based on the effect of our work in the first stage," she said.

Companies in either country that are involved in the production and export of listed items would be asked to register and provide relevant information to the authorities.

The two sides also adopted other policies, including provisions for joint investigations, recall of substandard products, regular high-level meetings, exchange of information about amendments to relevant laws and regulations, exchange of new technologies and joint personnel training.

"Different rules and standards of drug safety between the two countries won't hold back cooperation. We hope to improve mutual understanding and trust with our U.S. counterpart and stand together against difficulties and challenges," Yan said.

China also hoped to cooperate with other countries and regions to improve the management of drug quality, she said.

China is one of the world's largest exporters of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The United States and European Union are major importers.