While other countries debated questions of ethics dealing with genetic engineering and research, China has been seen as a country which welcomed any type of genetic research with no questions asked. However, this previously held belief is changing. On October 1, 2003,... Read More
Effective January 1, 2004, the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) launched a consolidated Center for Drug Administration (CDA). The center was formed as a result of a merger between two of HSA’s former professional centers responsible for the regulation and evaluation of... Read More
Japan's complex medical marketplace has been significantly deregulated in the past several years. The government has also taken some measures to be more open to foreign businesses, thus allowing more foreign companies to enter Japan's medical market. Several business and regulatory strategies... Read More
Malaysia’s Health Ministry is currently formulating a new legislation which will ban door-to-door direct sales of medicines. Consideration for the new law emerged out of the recent deaths of two siblings from the state of Johor after consuming illegally produced herbal tonics... Read More
The higher costs associated with conducting clinical trials in Japan is forcing many of Japan’s top pharmaceutical manufacturers to perform their clinical studies in other countries. This has resulted in the reduction of the number of clinical trials performed in Japan. Contract... Read More
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards were initially introduced in China in 1992. The standards provide basic rules and requirements pharmaceutical manufacturers in Mainland China must abide by in order to ensure the quality of drug products. In order to obtain GMP certification,... Read More
In late October 2003, Singapore’s Ministry of Health announced the drafting of a new bill that would regulate research and collection of human stem cells and tissue. The draft law called the Regulation of Biomedical Research Bill has been placed on the... Read More
The Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences released a proposal to the Indian government in the summer of 2003 to establish a system to regulate and supervise medical devices in the country. Currently, India does not have a regulatory body to... Read More
The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) was formed in 1992 by the ASEAN Economic Ministers. The purpose of the committee is to eliminate technical barriers to trade and facilitate the objectives of the ASEAN... Read More
Drug-eluting stents (DES) are designed for the controlled release of drugs into surrounding tissue. These types of stents are particularly useful in preventing the re-narrowing of arterial walls, or restonosis, after cardiovascular procedures. This technology was recently introduced into the Indian medical... Read More