The Health | MARCH, 2019
04
Current News
Briefs
Faux Isclusig (Ponatinib)
tablets reported
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has
received notification from the World
Health Organisation (WHO) regarding
false medication Iclusig, with active
ingredient Ponatinib being used as
treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia
patients. To clarify, this product is not
currently registered in Malaysia, and are
only being brought in under the 1984
Drugs and Cosmetics Regulation Act,
Rule 15(6) by request from medical
practitioners and certain patients.
From MOH’s investigation, it was found
that only one patient was found involved,
and the ministry have contacted the
hospital and the patient for the quarantine
of said product. The Pharmaceutical
department of MOH will work hand-in-
hand with WHO and other participating
authorities for further investigation on the
matter. Any inquiries or complaints can
be directed to the hotline 03 78413200 or
by visiting the Public Agency Complaint
Management System (SisPAA) at https://
moh.spab.gov.my.
Partnership in healthcare
innovation
The Singapore University of Social
Sciences (SUSS) signed two Memoranda
of Understanding (MOUs) on February
23 to collaborate on various initiatives
to better understand and support the
needs of the growing silver generation
as well as their caregivers. The MOUs
also aim to encourage active ageing and
intergenerational bonding.
Prof Cheong Hee Kiat, President,
SUSS, who signed the MOUs, said: “With
Singapore facing an ageing population,
more needs to be done to help the
elderly, their caregivers and encourage
intergenerational relationship.
These two MOUs are significant and
meaningful steps towards this end, and
we are delighted that our faculty, students
and alumni will be able to contribute and
gain from the collaboration. It is in line with
our university’s social focus and applied
learning approach.”
ICA2019 aims to
address Malaysia’s
ageing population
First ever International Confer-
ence on Ageing 2019 brings together
various organisations and individuals
interested to know more on the issues
of elderly.
At present, the Malaysian popula-
tion is estimated to be 32 million
people. The number of Malaysians aged
60 years and above is estimated to be
1.4 million and is projected to increase
to 3.3 million in the year 2020. Not
only is the ageing population growing,
the issue is also coupled with falling
birth rates that will lead to an imbal-
ance in age groups (youth-elders).
This issue became a catalyst for
the development of the World’s first
International Conference on Ageing
2019 (ICA2019). The conference is
organized by USM as a result from
the establishment of the USM-RIKEN
Centre for Ageing Science (URICAS)
as a collaborative program between
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and
RIKEN, Japan since 2015 to under-
take research on the theme of ageing.
URICAS aims to promote research on
ageing to understand its basic as well as
its biological and social consequences.
ICA2019 will focus on multidisci-
plinary issues related to ageing and
therefore will benefit essentially all
of us (the layperson who will all age
and care for the aged at some point
in our lives), the community at large
(including caregivers, caretakers)
and the various governing agencies,
institutions and not forgetting private
companies or industries who will all be
impacted by the expected increasing
ageing population due to advancement
in healthcare that will lead to lifespan
increase.
The conference would discuss
related issues related but not limited
to the identified themes. The identified
themes for Sciences track are Biology
of Ageing and Ageing-related Diseases,
Integrated Healthcare Approach for the
Elderly and Science of Ageing.
The themes for Social Sciences track
are Elderly Care, Active and Smart
Ageing and Ageing-in-Place. It is
expected that conference participants
Transforming
ASEAN’s healthcare
DTECT Colon+, genetic
screening for colorectal
cancer
Public-listed healthcare company,
Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre
Berhad (MGRC), and its subsidiary,
pathology services company Clinipath
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Clinipath) today
announced the availability of Dtect
Colon+, the latest genetic screening test
that examines key genes associated with
colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the
most common cancers affecting both
adult men and women in Malaysia. As this
disease develops to later stages, common
symptoms may include altered bowel
habits (41.7%), blood in stools (35.5%),
abdominal pain (31.5%), weight loss
(31.0%), anaemia (9.8%) and intestinal
obstruction (9.3%). Unfortunately, the early
stage of CRC is often not symptomatic
which makes it a difficult disease to detect
early. In 2018, the Ministry of Health
Malaysia published the MySCan study on
cancer incidence and survival rates. From
the study, CRC was found to be highest
amongst Chinese, followed by Malays and
Indians. The incidence rate was observed
to increase with age, especially above 55
years. — The Health
ASEAN Healthcare
Transformation
Summit 2019.
Asean Healthcare Transforma-
tion Summit 2019 will be held this
March 19 to 21.
Healthcare leaders from
governments, private hospitals,
organisations and communities
will gather at Renaissance Kuala
Lumpur from 19 – 21 March 2019
to highlight many best practices
in the healthcare landscape,
transformational solutions in
healthcare, emerging trends in the
industry and new technological
solutions to keep up with, to stay
relevant in your profession in a
challenging and complex operat-
ing environment.
AHTS2019 will be held on
3 consecutive days from 19-21
March 2019 at Renaissance Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The three days
conference provide Southeast
Asia’s most interactive meeting
for healthcare professionals creat-
ing critical platform for dialogue
focusing on business models and
innovation that is disrupting the
industry.
Digital technology is enabling
access to information and care;
hence, consumers are able to
choose where, how, and by whom
they would like to be treated.
Despite the industry-wide push
for alternative care delivery
models, especially in primary
care, basic hospital infrastructure
development will continue to be
a key area of investment to meet
the rapid increase in demand for
healthcare services in the region.
The Health has chosen to
become one of the summit’s offi-
cial media partner, covering key
aspects of the summit and bring-
ing you the important findings to
be discussed during the three day
conference. — The Health
would be able to share their research
findings, experiences and current
practices on ageing issues from various
perspectives and countries.
ICA2019 – ageing with dignity, will
be held in Penang on March 7 and 8 at
the Eastin Hotel. — The Health
New oral
monotherapy
for lung cancer
Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd today
announced the approval of ALECENSA®
(alectinib), a monotherapy oral treatment
as a first line treatment in Malaysia, for
people with anaplastic lymphoma kinase
positive (ALK+) metastatic non-small cell
lung cancer (NSCLC).
Lung cancer is the leading cause of
cancer-related deaths worldwide, and kills
more people than the other three leading
cancers combined (breast, prostate and
colorectal). NSCLC is the most common
type of cancer, and accounts for more
than 85 percent of lung cancers.
ALK is one of the known
mutations that occurs in NSCLC and
is also known for its aggressive behav-
iour. Every year, an estimated 75,000
people are diagnosed with ALK+ NSCLC
worldwide.
Data from the Malaysian Study on
Cancer Survival (MySCan) recorded that
lung cancer is the most “worrying” cancer
among Malaysians. The average survival
rate is only 11 percent, the lowest among
patients suffering various types of
cancer. It also occurs mostly in men,
accounting for 69 precent, and in women,
31 percent.
ALECENSA® is indicated for treatment
of patients when the disease is advanced
and has not been treated before or has
been treated with the current standard
of care. It specifically blocks the abnor-
mal ALK protein that is responsible for
the growth and spread of ALK+ NSCLC
to other parts of the body and
prevents the cancer from worsening. —
The Health