BEIJING, July 5 -- China approved the market launch of 24 innovative drugs in the first half of 2023, as the country implements a reform of the review and approval mechanisms for medical products, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 28 innovative medical equipment products were approved for market launch, according to the NMPA.

Jiao Hong, head of the administration, said at a press conference that the ongoing reform focuses on encouraging innovation, adding that the NMPA is allocating more resources to the review of innovative drugs, pediatric drugs and rare-disease drugs with high clinical urgency and clear efficacy.

Huang Guo, deputy head of the NMPA, said the administration had been facilitating the market launch of rare-disease drugs by providing supportive policies to encourage the research of rare-disease drugs and forming special review teams to closely follow the research and development of such drugs.

A total of 23 new overseas rare-disease drugs have been approved to enter the Chinese market via a dedicated channel, which was established in 2018 to prioritize the review and approval process for clinically urgent new overseas drugs, according to the NMPA.