Singapore: Health Sciences Authority (HSA), which is the national regulator for health products in Singapore, inaugurated the Asia Regulatory Conference 2013 in the island nation for the first time. The conference will focus mainly on the fields of medical product development and regulations and is themed, 'Regulatory Convergence and Cooperation to Improve Access and Quality'. The conference is being held at the Raffles City Convention Center, Singapore, from January 28-30, 2013.

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The event saw over 300 participants from health authorities, pharmaceutical companies and academia from across 30 countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe, exchange their views in order to enhance patient access to new and improved medicines. The three-day conference is co-organised by the Drug Information Association (DIA) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA).

The fact that Singapore is now ranked number one by the World Health Organisation (WHO)-Uppsala Monitoring Center in terms of the number of reported adverse events per million inhabitants, shows the robustness of the island nation's regulatory framework. It also illustrates the effectiveness of Singapore's reporting system, which allows HSA to pick up adverse drug reaction reports directly from healthcare professionals, analyse and address any drug safety issues expeditiously.

Dr Ling Su, president, DIA board of directors, while speaking about the event, said that, "This three-day conference offers a unique opportunity for key stakeholders from health authorities, local and multinational pharmaceutical companies, and clinical research to meet and exchange views, discuss topics of interest and identify focus areas for ongoing efforts to increase patient access to new and improved medicines."