May 23 – China’s first national Mental Health Law (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Law’), which has taken almost 27 years to draft, came into effect on May 1, 2013.  The Law for the first time explicitly forbids the involuntary confinement of individuals with mental disorders, and offers greater protection to employees suffering from such disorders. Detailed information can be found below. Continue reading →

May 22 – China’s “Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products,” issued in 2000, has played an important role in regulating pharmaceutical operation activities and ensuring drug quality and safety over the past decade. However, with the country’s rapid economic and social development in recent years, some provisions of the current Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products have fallen behind the times, and are therefore hindering the healthy development of the pharmaceutical industry.

In response, China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) started revising the Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products in 2009 and now, after three rounds of public consultation, China’s Ministry of Health (MOH) at last released the newly-revised “Good Supply Practice of Pharmaceutical Products (MOH Decree No. 90, hereinafter referred to as ‘Revised GSP Standards’)” on January 22, which is scheduled to take effect on June 1, 2013. Continue reading →

May 17 – In order to fully implement the “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance (hereinafter referred to as ‘Regulations’),” China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) released the “Opinions on Certain Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance (Renshebufa [2013] No.34, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Opinions’)” on April 25, 2013, which clarifies several issues regarding the implementation of the Regulations. Detailed information can be found below. Continue reading →