If you decide to cease your pharmaceutical business, you should proactively apply to the relevant regulatory authority (the Drug Office, Department of Health, or the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong) to cancel your licence. You need to submit written notice clearly stating the date on which you intend to cease operations. Before ceasing operations, you must deal properly with all remaining medicine stock. This usually means lawfully selling or transferring the stock to another licensed wholesaler or manufacturer, or arranging for a qualified chemical waste contractor to destroy it. You must retain all relevant records of how the stock was dealt with. After completing all stock clearance procedures, return the original licence to the regulatory authority.
HONG KONG DRUG LICENSING
If I no longer wish to operate a pharmaceutical business, how can I lawfully cancel my pharmaceutical licence?
A complete explanation of the regulatory basis, Drew Tang’s recommendations and risk alerts. The original material dates from 2025; read it alongside the latest official requirements.
Original guide, 2025 edition: These FAQs are provided for topic-based reference and have not all been individually checked against current rules. Please confirm fees, personnel, renewal, changes and product requirements against the professional in-depth guide for the relevant licence type and the official requirements in force at the time.
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