Singapore medtech firms to get more help with regulations under partnership
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(From left) Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) CEO Dennis Mark, Health Sciences Authority CEO Raymond Chua and SMF Medical Technology Industry Group Chairman Eugene Yoo at an Oct 2 conference.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE MANUFACTURING FEDERATION
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- HSA and SMF have partnered to better equip Singapore's medtech sector for regulations, offering advisory services and professional development.
- The partnership provides consultations, streamlines regulatory processes, and enhances intellectual property protection for medtech firms seeking global market access.
- HSA promotes collaborations with countries like Australia and Malaysia for faster approvals.
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SINGAPORE - A new partnership aims to make Singapore’s medical technology sector better equipped to meet regulations in the Republic and wider Asia-Pacific region, including for emerging innovations.
Businesses can tap advisory services, professional development programmes and more under a tie-up between the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation’s (SMF) medical technology industry group.
The partnership, launched on Oct 2, is positioned as a “comprehensive support ecosystem” for medtech firms. It offers consultations while companies are in the early stages of product development and regulatory planning, to help in their path to market. These will be held at SMF’s SME Centre.
Specialised professional development programmes will also be rolled out to help businesses navigate the regulatory landscape more efficiently and effectively.
Experts from HSA will be involved in the programmes, sharing insights on regulatory requirements and best practices.
“Close partnership between the regulator and industry association is essential to ensure regulations remain relevant and responsive to the dynamic needs of this rapidly evolving transformative industry,” said HSA chief executive Raymond Chua.
“This enables us to co-create forward-looking regulatory frameworks that accelerate breakthrough technologies to market, while upholding our unwavering commitment to patient safety.”
Mr Eugene Yoo, chairman of SMF’s medtech industry group, said HSA and his association have “built an integrated foundation where streamlined regulatory processes, a robust framework for intellectual property protection, and essential trade facilitation services are all seamlessly linked”.
“This enables firms in Singapore to innovate, scale manufacturing and secure their assets, giving them a strong launchpad to access global markets.”
The partnership will also promote awareness of HSA’s collaborations with countries and territories in the region, which can result in faster regulatory approvals. HSA has established collaborations, known as reliance programmes, with Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
It also has a pilot programme with the Medical Device Authority of Malaysia. The programme, which will run until February 2026, enables the faster registration of some medical devices.
An innovation office under HSA’s health products regulation group will also be a partner in offering advice to businesses.
The office brings together agile regulatory frameworks and sandbox initiatives under one roof, including for emerging technologies.
For instance, the Software as a Medical Device Change Management Programme framework, launched in December 2024, enables manufacturers to implement rapid software updates with a reduced regulatory burden.
SMF chief executive Dennis Mark said: “While clinicians and researchers develop innovative concepts, it is the manufacturing sector that turns these ideas into tangible, life-changing products.
“We hope more industry players will work with us in managing the complex regulatory environment for Software as a Medical Device and AI-powered devices, and by creating new approval schemes to boost innovation.”
Earlier in 2025, a $38 million national initiative was officially launched
MedTech Catapult, hosted by A*Star, aims to speed up the development and commercialisation of life science instruments and medical devices. Its goal is to connect product owners with contract manufacturers, identify high-value project ideas and translate these ideas into commercial products.
