On October 16, 2025, the Shanghai Municipal Medical Products Administration, Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, and Shanghai Customs jointly issued the Shanghai Pilot Work Plan for Service Guidance on Temporary Import of Clinically Urgent Drugs and Medical Devices. 《上海市关于临床急需药械临时进口服务指导工作方案（试行）》This new plan aims to streamline the temporary import process for clinically urgent drugs and medical devices in Shanghai, helping patients gain faster access to innovative medical products.

This article provides a consolidated overview of the relevant regulatory notices, supplemented by recent developments in regulatory enforcement activities-such as unannounced inspections and sampling inspections-conducted by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and selected provincial and municipal authorities. The aim is to assist enterprises in staying informed of evolving regulatory trends and to reinforce awareness of quality management and compliance requirements.

To accurately address the common questions frequently encountered in the acceptance of special foods and related administrative licenses, and to effectively improve applicants’ efficiency and experience, the Food Review Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the “Summary of Common Issues on the Acceptance Work” on October 28, 2025.

Recently, China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) proposed adding five chemicals to the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals. The names, CAS numbers, and hazard classifications of these five chemicals were published, and the proposal is currently in the public consultation phase.

China NHC issued notifications regarding the acceptance of “three new foods”. The applications for 2 new food materials and 2 new food additives have been received.

On November 9, 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce officially released Announcement No. 72 of 2025, announcing the suspension of the provisions of Article 2 of Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 46 of 2024 (Announcement on Strengthening Export Controls on Certain Dual-Use Items to the United States) effective immediately until November 27, 2026.

On November 4, 2025, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) proposed adding three reproductive toxic substances to the Authorization List (Annex 14) of the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH) regulation and initiated a public consultation. This marks the first time the UK has proposed adding substances to the authorization list since its departure from the EU ("Brexit").

The Chemical Substance Management Agency of the Environmental Department in China's Taiwan region recently announced that it will launch the second phase of the existing chemical substance registration plan and provided relevant explanations regarding the priority substances for data collection and evaluation.

In our last article, Is Your Scalp Healthy? – Scalp Health Evaluation Methods (Part I), we have introduced the evaluation methods for dandruff, sebum levels, and itchiness. In this article, we will continue with the evaluation methods for erythema/papules/pustules and the overall hair status.

On November 7, 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued Announcement No. 70 of 2025, announcing the suspension of multiple previous announcements effective immediately until November 10, 2026. The suspended announcements include Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs Announcements No. 55, 56, 57, and 58 of 2025, as well as Ministry of Commerce Announcements No. 61 and 62 of 2025.