On 26 February 2021, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it is introducing a new voluntary listing of direct telemedicine service providers, to assist patients with making informed choices when selecting telemedicine service providers. According to the MOH, this scheme will be an interim measure to promote patient safety and welfare in the provision of telemedicine services, pending the upcoming regulation of telemedicine services under the new soon-to-be-implemented Healthcare Services Act.

On 26 February 2021, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it is introducing a new voluntary listing of direct telemedicine service providers, to assist patients with making informed choices when selecting telemedicine service providers. According to the MOH, this scheme will be an interim measure to promote patient safety and welfare in the provision of telemedicine services, pending the upcoming regulation of telemedicine services under the new soon-to-be-implemented Healthcare Services Act.

Following the growing viability of meat substitutes such as plant-based meats and cultured meats, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has released an updated document detailing its requirements regarding the safety assessment of novel foods (“Safety Assessment Requirements”). This document is expected to be revised periodically as the novel food space evolves to facilitate industry safety assessments and maintain food safety standards.

In an advisory released on November 25 2020, the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) strongly cautioned medical practitioners against participating in online search engine optimisation platforms that make use of patient and feedback ratings, or buying packages from the same for the purpose of obtaining patient testimonials. Doing so may be construed as making or expressly agreeing to the use of patient testimonials in their advertising, in contravention of provisions under SMC’s Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (ECEG) and the Handbook of Medical Ethics (“Handbook”).

A recent study co-led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (the “Study”) has suggested that exposure to COVID-19 vaccine related misinformation could negatively impact the public’s willingness to undergo vaccination.

After being the subject of 90 customer complaints from January 2019 to 31 August 2020, three beauty salons have signed Voluntary Compliance Agreements (“VCAs”) with the Consumers Association of Singapore (“CASE”) where they admit, and resolve to cease carrying out aggressive or misleading practices.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) accepted voluntary undertakings from the owners and operators of the “ABC Bargain Centre,” “Valu$” and “ABC Express” retail outlets (collectively “Parties”), to cease the use of “Closing Down Sale” and “Fire Sale” advertisements from 30 September 2020. The CCCS noted that using such advertisements when firms are neither ceasing operations nor are in financial distress can constitute an unfair practice in breach of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (Cap. 52A) (CPFTA) as they can mislead consumers into believing that there is a price benefit, which would only be available for a limited period.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) issued the Guidelines on Price Transparency (“Guidelines”) to explain how it would interpret the Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act (“CPFTA”) in relation to the display/advertisement of prices and pricing practices such as time-limited discounts, free offers and price comparisons. The Guidelines apply to all suppliers, whether operating online or in physical stores, and will come into effect on 1 November 2020.

The CCCS is also reviewing the CPFTA to enhance its enforcement powers.

The ongoing global outbreak of COVID-19 has thrown fake news into the spotlight, with governments worldwide racing against time to contain not only the spread of the pathogen, but also the flurry of fake news, with fears that online misinformation, if left unchecked, could be more infectious than the disease…

On 3 June 2020, the Ministry of Law (“MinLaw”) and Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”) launched a public consultation on “Proposed Licence Conditions and Code of Conduct for Collective Management Organisations” (the “Consultation Paper”). The proposed amendments follow from the responses received during the Copyright Collective Rights Management Ecosystem Public Consultation 2017, and forms part of the ongoing review of Singapore’s copyright regime. It seeks to implement a regulatory framework for Collective Management Organisations (“CMOs”), which are currently unregulated.