Taylor’s University was recently endorsed as an Asia-Pacific Economic Committee (APEC) Life Sciences Innovation Forum (LSIF) Training Centre of Excellence (CoE) for “Global Supply Chain Integrity”.  This is the first APEC CoE in Malaysia and only the 3rd in the world in Global Supply Chain Integrity, the other 2 being in the United States of America. This endorsement is a recognition by APEC of Taylor’s University’s expertise and capability in providing training and consultation in this important area, closely related to the provision of healthcare.  This important milestone for the university and nation could not be achieved without the strong support from the Ministry of Health Malaysia. 

APEC’s selection criteria for a CoE includes  being a trusted global education/regulatory/science-setting organization, the ability to develop and deliver training programmes against priorities set by APEC, credibility in the area of the CoE and ability to provide faculty through their own staff, visiting regulatory staff and other experts.  This endorsement follows a successful completion, at Taylor’s University, Lakeside Campus in September 2019, of a 3-day training on “Good Distribution Practice, Track and Trace and Internet Sales”, attended by 99 participants from 9 countries and with speakers from the Ministry of Health Malaysia, non-governmental organisations, the US FDA, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Mr.Fabian Bigar, Undersecretary of Policy and International Relations Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia commented “As the Malaysian focal point for the APEC Life Sciences Innovation Forum and the Healthcare, we are extremely delighted that Taylor’s University has been chosen to be the APEC LSIF Training Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science (CoE) for Global Supply Chain Integrity. This is a testament to the hard work that the team at Taylor’s University have put in to ensure the success of this programme.”

In this globalized world with global healthcare challenges, countries are increasingly dependent on the global marketplace to provide medical products needed to keep their citizens healthy by ensuring that access to legitimate products is not disrupted.  This has been made very apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic where there were worldwide shortages in face masks, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and even certain medicines.  Thus, ensuring a reliable and continuous supply chain of good quality, safe and effective medical products is of great importance.  Governments are aware of the constant danger of illegal and unsafe medicines and the harm it can cause patients.  This danger has been compounded and further facilitated through the internet sales of medical products.  Trade in illegal and counterfeit medicines is a serious problem and both developing and developed nations have been grappling with this problem and unfortunately, in many countries, patient safety has been compromised.

There is therefore a global need for effective supply chain processes that begin with the manufacturer through Good Manufacturing practice (GMP), followed by Good Distribution Practice and the Track and Trace of Medical Products as they move through the supply chain even across countries and also through the internet.  Unscrupulous businessmen have found ways to move substandard medical products and thus disrupt and contaminate the supply chain at various point to the detriment of the health of the consumer.  Thus, there is a need for training of regulators and industry personnel in the various aspects of the supply chain for medical products and to maintain its integrity.

Taylor’s University APEC LSIF Centre of Excellence for Supply Chain Integrity, led by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, in collaboration with other Centres of Excellence around the world, industry and governmental and non-governmental agencies, aims to provide training and consultancy in global supply chain integrity of safe, effective and quality medical products to ensure the safety and health of consumers.