What a year 2024 has been! We celebrated our 10th anniversary with the MedTech Forum where we had over 2,000 attendees, 100 international speakers including Nobel-Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai and healthcare AI experts like Tom Lawry and Dr Brent James.
We wanted to take this opportunity to unequivocally and sincerely thank our board and committee members for their tireless work and support to enhance healthcare outcomes and access across APAC.
Advocacy wins include Singapore’s exemptions for Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 and getting invited by governments of Malaysia (Medical Device Authority), Indonesia (MOH) and China (NMPA) to shape policies on change management, electronic IFU guideline revisions, and regulatory reliance respectively.
We also reached over 1000 policymakers across the region via capacity building trainings, covering topics not limited to data interoperability standards and SaMD regulations, and launched APACMed’s position on key issues such as ethical considerations for applying AI in MedTech in APAC.
Further, we convened authorities from Japan, Korea, Australia and Singapore together for digital health reimbursement dialogues. We also launched the APACMed Innovation Community (AIC) for start-ups to be connected to the healthcare ecosystem – more to come in 2025, so watch this space!
We wrapped up this year by clinching the BioSpectrum Awards for “Outstanding Leadership in MedTech Advocacy in APAC”! (insert link to website)
Some key resources we have made available to you are our E-learning hub, Integrated Resources Page, Regulatory Intelligence Bulletin, and the Environmental Policy Dashboard 2.0.
Your continued interest and involvement in 2025 are coveted by all of us at the APACMed Secretariat. We’ve extracted our key achievements this year below, for your ease of reference. For a fuller low-down, please watch this space for our Annual Report in March 2025.
COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
- Strengthening Diagnostics Capacity in APAC: Supported the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution 76.5 implementation by advocating for increased diagnostic capacity in the region (link). The Policy Roundtable was held in Indonesia as part of the initiative aimed at collaborating with the Indonesian government to develop a national diagnostic strategy.
- Balanced Approach towards Localisation: Recommended phased and stratified approaches for local content regulations in Indonesia and Vietnam to ensure continuity of access and quality care.
- Digital Health Reimbursement: Tackled fragmented reimbursement through the Digital Health Reimbursement Policy Forum held across four markets (Singapore, Korea, Japan, Australia), with payer representatives sharing best practices from the U.S. and France – containing the advocacy engagements for harmonized digital health innovations reimbursement pathways in key APAC markets. (link)
- Value-Based Access in Japan and Vietnam: Promoted value-based healthcare in key APAC markets to advance patient access to innovative medical technologies by engaging with the key healthcare ecosystem representatives to set optimal pricing and procurement models tailored to various markets.
- Change Management: Enhanced alignment of Malaysia’s guidelines with GHWP standards through workshops and gap assessments. (link)
- Adoption of Electronic Labelling: Advanced multilingual e-instructions for use in Indonesia and Thailand, with plans for China’s NMPA adoption of e-IFU. (link)
- Regulatory Reliance in ASEAN: Facilitated collaboration between the Regulatory Authorities of Thailand and Laos, Singapore and Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to build capacity and streamline approvals. (link)
Enhancing Regulatory Frameworks: Organised regulatory reliance training with NMPA, sharing global best practices and shaping China’s regulatory strategies. (link)
- Health Data and Interoperability: Advocated for improved access and sharing of health data in Australia (link), addressing interoperability challenges in ASEAN through workshops.
- Cybersecurity: Launched two cybersecurity response guides and conducted workshop to level up cyber readiness among industry. (link)
- Expansion of Innovation Networks: Launched the APACMed Innovation Community (AIC), with the intention of connecting over 300 MNCs and SMEs. Piloted AIC’s expansion in China and strengthened global connectivity with AdvaMed and MedTech Europe(Start-ups). (link)
- Support for SME Financing and Development: Published the “Fuelling the APAC MedTech Innovation Engine” whitepaper with LEK to address post-COVID funding challenges and advocate for sustained MedTech investments. (link)
WORKING GROUP HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
AI
AI in MedTech and Ethics: Published two white papers and a set of ethical considerations on AI adoption in medtech, emphasizing access, capability, trust, and transparency (link) while addressing talent gaps (link) and patient-centric principles. (link)
ESG
Environmental Regulation: Successfully advocated exemptions for hazardous substances in Singapore (link) and enhanced regulatory visibility for members through a regional dashboard covering 9 markets. (link)
IVD
Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS): Introduced the first-of-its kind Value Assessment Framework (VAF) to provide an in-depth overview of NGS to improve policy and reimbursement for NGS-based cancer care in APAC. (link)
LEC
Legal, Ethics & Compliance (LEC): Formed and kicked off the India LEC Committee with a CEO roundtable to address compliance and ethical challenges in MedTech, focusing on Compliance and Third-Party Risks. (link)
