Children's medicine imports to be fast-tracked

Some children's drugs that have been used in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for years will be put on a fast track for importation, China's top health authority said on Wednesday.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission released a list of 32 drugs to be expedited. The medications are used to treat conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to endocrine, blood and nervous system disorders.

Most of the drugs have passed clinical tests and been used for years in the three areas, but they have not been available to doctors and patients on the Chinese mainland. Under current rules, approval to import such drugs requires clinical test data collected on the mainland.