On behalf of PSS Council and Secretariat, we would like to wish all our Muslim members Selamat Hari Raya Aidil-Fitri and Happy Deepavali to all our Hindu members.

Hope you have a wonderful and enjoyable time together with loved ones and friends.

With just over one month away from the first ever FAPA Congress to be hosted by PSS in 44 years since the inception of this largest Asian pharmaceutical federation, preparation by the host (PSS) has gone into overdrive.The scientific programmes and the speaker list have almost completed. Here's a brief update on the registration front.

The recently concluded FIP Congress in Basel has proved that this event is still the only truly global congress for the pharmaceutical practitioners and scientists where every sections of pharmacy is still under one roof.

PSS Fellow Member and founder of Integrated Contract Manufacturing Pte. Ltd – Mr. Koe Khoon Poh has been nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The 13th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA), co-organised by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) and the WHO took place from 16-19 September, in Bern, Switzerland.  Key topics of concern in the meetings include counterfeit drugs and issues in the production of new medical products.

Just in case you may not pay attention, the change of the Pharmacist Registration Act which was signed into laws last year also paved the way for the structural change of the old familiar Singapore Pharmacy Board which most of us have grown to acquaint with. The MOH agency – Singapore Pharmacy Board – has since 01-Sep-2008 been superseded by a separate body renamed as Singapore Pharmacy Council.

The new Executive Committee of the NUS Pharmaceutical Society (NUSPS) has taken over with the new lineup headed by Constance Neo Xue Rui  - a year 2 student. The full line-up of the Exco and a brief to their portfolios are as follows:

On 16-Sep-08, US FDA imposed a ban on 30 drugs made by Ranbaxy in India; and also stop approving any new drugs made at these 2 plants, located in  until the deficiencies in production process sited at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh and Paonta Sahib Uttar Pradesh facilites are resolved.

Here are a few brief news related to healthcare & pharmaceutical scenes for your update.

● FDA Granted Priority Review for New Anti-malaria Drug
● Australian Study Links Red Bull drink with Cardiovascular Risks
● FDA Once Again Postpones Approval of Prasugrel

●  New Efforts to Prevent Medication Mix-ups.
●  Boehringer, Pfizer Respiratory Drug May Worsen Heart Problems

The following jobs/events are currently available. Kindly apply/register directly based on the information provided. Best of luck!