Jointly organized by the Centre for Food and Drug Safety of CUHK, University Paris-Est Créteil, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority, the ‘2011 Joint Conference of Drug Safety Research Centres—Strategies to Ensure Medicine Safety and Quality’ was held on 15 November, attracting over 180 doctors, pharmacists and nurses.

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Thomas Y.K. Chan, director of Centre for Food and Drug Safety, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK; and Dr. P.Y. Lam, Director of Health of the HKSAR Government, delivered the welcome remarks and opening address. Prof. Hervé Le Louet, Head of Department of Pharmacovigilance, University Paris-Est Créteil, was the keynote speaker. Other guests included Dr. Heston Kwong, assistant director (drug), Department of Health; and Dr. Joseph Lui, chairman of Medication Safety Committee, Hospital Authority. The focuses of the conference included allergic drug reactions, applications of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice, and the systems for ensuring medicine safety and quality in hospital and out-patient clinic settings.