Category: News Article

APEC-LSIF COE 2021 Training Programme Announcement

In 2020, APEC economies and other countries around the world have been impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and this has resulted in a wide-range of supply chain disruptions, including the distribution and manufacture of medical products.

The pandemic has brought to light how crucial a proper understanding of Track & Trace and the Storage & Transportation of medical products is. Ensuring supply chain security with appropriate Track & Trace initiatives and managing the logistics with good supply & distribution practices are important components of assurance of safety, quality, and efficacy of medical products. This will be especially important when a vaccine becomes available.

In light of this, the APEC-LSIF COEs (in Global Supply Chain Integrity) of Taylor’s University and United States Pharmacopeia (USP), together with the Ministry of Health Malaysia, are jointly organising a training consisting of three webinars (in December 2020, followed by January and February 2021), which will then culminate in a two-day online training on March 11 and 12, 2021, focusing on Good Distribution Practice and Track and Trace . 

According to Taylor’s University APEC CoE Director, Professor Dr P.T. Thomas, the webinars and 2-day session in March next year, will be useful training for times like these.

He said: “We are very glad and privileged to partner with a globally-known organisation, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the Ministry of Health Malaysia to bring this training. We have a line-up of experienced and expert speakers from around the world.”

Registration is now open for Webinar 1 on Dec 9, 2020, which will be moderated by USP’s Ruth Lee. Anthony Tann, General Manager and Senior Director, APAC, USP (Singapore) will speak on “An Overview of Track and Trace Using Global Standard” and Goh Chiang Fein, CEO, GS1 Malaysia Berhad, will share his thoughts on “Increasing Transparency in the Medicines Supply Chain.” Click here if you’d like to register.

Webinar 2 is slated for Jan 27 and Webinar 3 will take place on Feb 24. Training will then commence on March 11 and wrap up on March 12, 2021. Check here for more details soon.

In the news: Taylor’s Centre of Excellence

This article appeared in The Star on Sept 20, 2020

THE Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at Taylor’s University has been endorsed as only one of three Training Centre of Excellence (CoE) for global supply chain integrity in the world.

The faculty is the first in Malaysia to be given the endorsement by the Asia-Pacific Economic Committee (Apec) Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF).

The Taylor’s Apec LSIF Centre of Excellence for Supply Chain Integrity, led by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, is also in collaboration with other CoEs, industry, governmental and non-governmental agencies around the world.

This network aims to provide training and consultancy to maintain the integrity of the global supply chain of safe, effective, and quality medical products, thus maintaining the safety and health of consumers.

“It is important to keep abreast of the latest events in the healthcare industry, and have access to a global network of like-minded healthcare and industry practitioners to ensure that we can find ways to mitigate those that intend to do harm towards people without access to proper medical supplies, ” said Taylor’s University Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences executive dean Emeritus Prof Dr P.T. Thomas.

He added that he was pleased the faculty is now a part of the bigger picture in this worldwide challenge to ensure that access to legitimate medical products is not disrupted.

Among the selection criteria set by Apec for CoEs include being a trusted global education, or regulatory or science-setting organisation.

The institution must also have the ability to develop and deliver training programmes against priorities set by the committee.

This includes the CoE’s credibility and ability to carry out these programmes through their own staff, visiting regulatory staff and other experts.

This endorsement follows a successful completion of a three-day training on “Good Distribution Practice, Track and Trace and Internet Sales” in September 2019, at the Taylor’s Lakeside Campus.

The session saw the attendance of almost 100 participants from nine countries – with speakers from the Ministry of Health Malaysia, non-governmental organisations, the US Food Drug Administration (FDA), and the pharmaceutical industry.