30-Sep-16 The Kim Young-ran Act, which came into force on 28-Sep-16, bans receiving gifts worth more than a certain amount, and complying with unfair requests. The law is also expected to change 'rebate culture,' which harms fair competition in Korea's pharmaceutical industry. For a long time, the culture was pervasive. [image: Business Korea]

23-Sep-16 Merck’s immunotherapy cancer drug Keytruda is finding its way into China as the first imported drug approved for use under a pilot program on the resort island of Hainan intended to boost medical tourism. The zone in Boao is likely to attract patients who would otherwise travel to Hong Kong or Macau for drugs yet to be approved in China. [image: Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty Images]

18-Sep-16 A growing number of Singaporean women are heading to Malaysia, Thailand and Australia to preserve their fertility, in the hope of having children when they finally marry Mr Right. These women - professionals in their mid-30s to early 40s - are getting their eggs frozen abroad as the procedure is not allowed in Singapore, except on medical grounds. [image: ST Illustration / Adam Lee]

15-Sep-16 New guidelines on social media use for medical professionals are part of the updated Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines released by the Singapore Medical Council on 14-Sep-16. The changes were made to keep up with a "more complex" medical practice, due to factors such as advanced technology, innovative communication, new modes of treatment and changing expectations of patients. [image: Reuters]

15-Sep-16 The Australian government has announced it will speed up the approval process for new medicines so that Australians can gain faster access to drugs. Currently, Australians are forced to wait up to two years longer than in other nations, but the new rules will allow drugs to be "fast-tracked" if approved by a regulator such as the USFDA. [image: News Corp Australia]