On 7-Jan-09, representatives of PSS Retail Chapter Committee and Council Members held a focus group forum with HSA. Various practice (especially community practice) and drug regulatory issues were discussed during the session.

There have been numerous unofficial contacts with different officers from HSA on private basis; but leadership from both HSA and PSS agreed that such formal contacts would be extremely useful in light of the rapidly evolving and changing local and international drug regulatory and pharmacy practice scenes.

Topics of discussion covered ranged from a) Form C discontinuation and start of Form A poisons licence requirement for retail pharmacy conducting wholesale dealing of medicinal products; b) Hand-carried export sales by retail pharmacies; c) Update and expansion of Health Products Act; d) Implementation of Medical Devices registration and the impact on the practice; d) Reclassification of medicinal products; e) Drug repacking practice at practice level and quality issues; f) New trend of practice, eg. telepharmacy, and the impact on practice and regulation.

PSS will continue to engage & hold similar focus group discussions with HSA so that the practice landscape can continue to be aligned with the drug policies and vice versa.

Please feel free to voice any drug policy or practice issues which you would like to include in our future discussion forums with HSA. Alternatively, if you want to participate in Retail Chapter committee in such policies & agenda matter, please get in touch with the secretariat.

**********