19-Apr-16 The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued draft rules that establish registration and quality system requirements for medical devices and IVDs distinct from pharmaceutical products. Although the new rules pertain only to manufacturers based in India, they are significant by showing that the government now distinguishes medical devices as a separate industry from pharmaceuticals. [image: Business Today]

10-Apr-16 China's online pharmacy business has grown from virtually nothing five years ago to more than RMB7 bn (USD1.1 bn) in 2014, accounting for 3% of all retail medicine sales. But the boom is only a preview of explosive growth to come, provided authorities allow online pharmacies to sell prescription drugs. So far online pharmacy sales consist mostly of OTC medicine. [image: Asia Pacific Daily News]

12-Apr-16 AstraZeneca and Beijing-based mobile healthcare consultation application Chunyu Doctor have formed a partnership to offer patients with management of chronic diseases. Chunyu said it currently connects with more than 90 million users and about 400,000 physicians across the country. [image: Chunyu Yisheng]

15-Apr-16 Vietnam's Municipal Department of Health said that the overcrowding in public hospitals is seen not only in inpatient wards but also with outpatients. In 2015, the number of outpatients in public hospitals was 34 mn, accounting for 23% of the country’s outpatients. One solution proposed is to combine state and private hospital services. [image: Tuoi Tre News]

15-Apr-16 The US is enjoying a record number of tourists from China and some have come for medical treatments they cannot get at home. "This is a relatively new thing in the last two years that many people from China have been coming to the US for medical care. Prior to that, there were very small numbers," said Spencer Koerner, medical director at Cedars-Sinai. [image: Li Ming and Cai Meng / China Daily]