Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
PACKAGING RULES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has issued a comprehensive set of guidelines in information that must be written on packaging of human medicines sold in the European Union (EU). The bulletin addresses how rules apply under the amended directive 2001/83/EC, especially regarding the submission of outer packaging mock-ups for official approval.…
EMEA REVIEW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) has launched an action plan to improve its operational efficiency regarding human medicine controls. Part of an ongoing quality management initiative and a response to a 2003 audit, the 18 month plan aims at reinforcing EMEA’s scientific evaluation, the transparency of its procedures and the scientific capacity of its staff, plus making its CPMP scientific committee more efficient.…
SINGAPORE BOOK SALES
BY MARK ROWE
Christmas saw a rise in sales of consumer titles in Singapore, particularly self-help books, which sold well alongside the other leading categories of children and fiction.
Among lifestyle books, cookery books and titles focusing on home and décor were a popular theme according to MPH Bookstores, along with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.…
BIOTECHNOLOGY - EU
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Commission is proposing to harmonise legislation authorising the procedures for marketing the sophisticated manufacturing processes involved in human tissue engineering. The first products being developed in this growing field include artificial skin, cartilage and bone. Brussels said that the novel technology required to make these products promised to change medical practice “profoundly” by regenerating diseased tissues and organs instead of just repairing them.…
WIPO CYBERSQUATTING
BY ALAN OSBORN
OF five Tolkien cybersquatting cases filed at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, four have now been closed, says WIPO. The cases involve the speculative purchase of names with a view to profiting from their resale to legitimate claimants.…
RUSSIA BOOK SALES
BY MARK ROWE
The Russian book market saw brisk business in the run up to Christmas, with the heavyweights of Russian literature holding their own against the increasing popularity of modern literature, particularly a number of new works by female authors.…
HONG KONG BOOK SALES
BY EDWARD PETERS
The year of 2003 started with a whimper in Hong Kong but ended with a bang as far as book sales were concerned. Battered by Gulf War II and nearly shut down by SARS, the city bounced back at year’s end with customers lapping up everything from self-help to science fiction.…
REACH UPDATE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A ROW amongst European parliamentarians over which committee should review the controversial REACH system could delay consideration of the chemical control proposal until a new parliament is elected in June. Left wing MEPs want REACH examined by the environment committee, which might well table amendments to beef up REACH’s controls.…
WALMART INDIA
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
INDIA’S Council for Leather Exporters is pushing the country’s producers to seize 20 per cent of the US$1.5 billion’s worth of footwear bought globally by US retail giant WalMart over the next three years. Council chairman Shri S.S.…
CUBA CROCODILES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
CUBA has asked the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to relax a ban on trading its American Crocodile population, which offers commercial quality leather hides. American Crocodile skin leather is high quality, pliable, and decorative.…