India’s Parliament is expected to pass the long-awaited Third Patent Amendment Bill in January 2005, providing for more transparency and security in India’s six billion dollar pharmaceutical industry, comprised of around 20,000 foreign and domestic drug makers. The Third Amendment Bill will... Read More
In response to pressure from the U.S. government, Taiwan recently decided to take measures to regulate and protect the data of pharmaceutical companies. On September 22, 2004, Taiwan’s government approved draft amendments to their Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. Under these new amendments, foreign... Read More
In September 2004, the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed the details of the Patient Safety Council, which will go into effect within the next few months. The Council will address and resolve incidents of medical errors and help improve the overall... Read More
Japan’s new Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (PAL) will be fully implemented in April 2005. Included in the changes will be the new requirement that all low-risk medical devices, or controlled medical devices, be evaluated by a third party organization. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor... Read More
Due to the government’s concern of the manufacturing and importing of counterfeit and unregistered pharmaceuticals in Malaysia, the Ministry of Health has recently issued the “Directive on the Use of the Hologram Security Device.” This regulation will require all pharmaceuticals, including health... Read More
In June 2004, Singapore amended its Patent Bill in hopes of strengthening the country’s pharmaceutical patent system. The changes should improve the pharmaceutical sector by encouraging greater innovation and research in Singapore pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, the amended Bill focuses on improving three... Read More
In an effort to ensure that Singaporeans receive quality healthcare at reasonable prices, Singapore’s Ministry of Health introduced the Medical Service Package (MSP) on July 2, 2004. The MSP, which took effect in all public institutions on July 5, 2004, will allow... Read More
Recently, Japan has seen a surge in hospital errors as well as an increase in improper administration of anticancer medications, prompting Japanese health officials to take action against these negative trends. Two new programs have been established by the Japanese Ministry of... Read More
On April 20, 2004, Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) released a draft Bill to amend Singapore Medicines Act. The Bill will improve Singapore standing in the medical industry through better protection of pharmaceutical patents. It will also help attract more research-based pharmaceutical... Read More
Three major agencies responsible for drug and medical device approval in Japan merged into one organization called the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), on April 1, 2004. Previously, the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Evaluation Center (PMDEC), Organization of Pharmaceutical Safety and... Read More