Archive

BY KATE REW
THE US MINT is making significantly fewer coins than it did last year due to the downturn of the economy. When the economy is slow, there is a reduction in retail transactions, which translates in a decreased demand for coins, Matthew Kilbourne, Mint spokesperson told Metal Bulletin.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation has launched a review of its anti-dumping and countervailing rules, as part of the agreement to embark on a new general round of negotiations.

Ministers agreed at their summit in Qatar, for talks “aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines,” on these protective duty regimes.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GLOBAL convention, controlling the use of potentially harmful anti-fouling paints on ships, has been formally agreed by the International Maritime Organisation; the agreement – which has been discussed since 1992 – will ban the painting or repainting of organotin compounds on ships by January, 2003.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A GLOBAL convention, controlling the use of potentially harmful anti-fouling paints on ships, has been formally agreed by the International Maritime Organisation; the agreement – which has been discussed since 1992 – will ban the painting or repainting of organotin compounds on ships by January, 2003.…

KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Union-wide strategy to guarantee the production, supply and availability of medicines warding off the effects of a biological terrorist attack have been debated at a meeting between the European Commission and the EU pharmaceutical industry. They discussed possible threats, and how to ensure medicines are made available in emergencies.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EU Council of Ministers, (health), has adopted formal guidelines on the prudent use of antibiotics and other anti-microbial agents in human medicine, to contain the spread of resistance in viruses and bacteria to these pharmaceuticals.

This non-binding Recommendation asks national governments to provide public information on the subject, to use a precautionary ‘by prescription only’ approach, to carry out more research and to improve monitoring of consumption of these drugs.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
WHEN pharmaceutical companies dilute imported medicinal ingredients to make a final product, they have in most instances legally created a new locally manufactured medicine, the rules of origin committee of the World Trade Organisation has ruled.

The decision means that worldwide, such products would in future be affected by duties, quotas and other import and export regulations relating to the country where they were diluted, rather than where the ingredients were produced.…

KEITH NUTHALL
FROM the beginning of next year exporters of medicinal products will find it easier to sell in Japan following completion of a Mutual Recognition Agreement between that country and the EU.

The deal includes a Good Manufacturing Practice agreement under which both sides will agree to honour each other’s testing, certification and approval of products.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has widened health research under the oncoming EU Sixth Framework Programme to include studies on traditional diseases, widening European Commission plans to limiting its life science work to genomics and biotechnology. By contrast, the parliament wants money spent on cancer, cardiovascular diseases, degenerative nervous system illnesses, (including CJD), diabetes, viral hepatitis C, allergies, rare diseases and ageing conditions.…

KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union ministers have been asked to approve the transfer of Euro 60 million from the general EU 2001 budget, (most of which is currently earmarked for fishery support), to help finance the UN’s Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries.…