The Therapeutic Products Branch of the Health Sciences Authority has provided an interim update on the progress of the eCTD implementation in Singapore following an industry consultation held between 2 May 2023 to 12 June 2023. The eCTD is a standard structured format for companies to transfer regulatory information related to therapeutic products to facilitate dossier submissions. The implementation was envisaged to take place in phases, and adoption by the industry will be on a voluntary basis during the initial roll-out.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS), Singapore’s advertising standards watchdog, has found an electronics company in breach of the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP) for greenwashing or marketing that exaggerates the sustainability of a product.
This is the ASAS’ first finding of a breach of the SCAP as a result of greenwashing. The advertising standards watchdog has previously received one other complaint about greenwashing since 2020, but the advertisement in that case was found not to have breached the SCAP.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is conducting a public consultation from 11 December 2023 to 11 January 2024 on the proposed Health Information Bill (HIB). Through the HIB, the MOH intends to establish a framework governing the safe collection, use and sharing of health information across Singapore’s healthcare ecosystem to facilitate better continuity and seamless transition of care.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) is developing a set of guidelines to provide greater clarity to suppliers on the environmental claims that could amount to unfair practices under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, after a study found that one in two products sold online overstated their environmental claims.

In October 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) participated in a one-week INTERPOL-led, internet-based operation involving 89 member countries targeting the sale of illegal health products.
The HSA announced that it removed over 4,600 listings of illegal health products from local e-commerce and social media platforms and seized more than 60,000 units of illegal health products at the Singapore Customs during a week of intensified surveillance from 3 to 10 October 2023.

The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and the National Environmental Agency (NEA) set out the Eligibility Criteria under the International Carbon Credit Framework as part of Singapore’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Monetary Singapore Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Infocomm Media Authority (IMDA) published a joint consultation paper, which sets out a Shared Responsibility Framework (SRF) allocating losses arising from scams among financial institutions (FIs), telecommunication operators (telcos) and consumers.
Under the proposed SRF, FIs and telcos will have to fulfill their respective anti-scam duties. Failure to do so may result in the FIs and telcos making payouts to scam victims for certain types of phishing scams.

On 20 October 2023, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Health Sciences Authority and national health technology agency, Synapxe, launched the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme for Medical Devices sandbox. Medical device manufacturers are invited to participate in the sandbox to gain a first-mover advantage in enhancing the security of their products.

On 29 September 2023, the Health Sciences Authority rolled out a one-year transition plan for companies to fully comply with the requirement for chemical drug substance manufacturers to provide Evidence of Good Manufacturing Practice Compliance. The HSA also provided clarity over the types of evidence that companies can submit as proof of GMP compliance.

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority have unveiled the Intangibles Disclosure Framework, a new framework to disclose and communicate the value of intangible assets, as part of the Singapore IP Strategy 2030.