Corruption poses anever-present concern for democracies on every continent. It is no different inAsia, especially in Singapore, which alongside New Zealand and Scandinaviancountries stand out as examples of best practices in infrastructure and legal frameworkemployed to combat corruption.

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The use of medication is undeniably crucial for extending our lives with the highest possible quality, aligning with advancements in science. As a result, medication leaflets are familiar to everyone, whether or not they are involved in the pharmaceutical sector. However, the same level of familiarity does not extend to the concepts of generic medicines and patented drugs.

According to a publication on the website of the newspaper A Gazeta, the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BRPTO) has disclosed that, in 2023, 25,367 utility patents were filed in Brazil. This data was divided as follows:

Transparency International, headquartered in Berlin, it is a non-profit organization focused on anti-corruption operating internationally. Its purpose is to combat corruption and associated criminal activities.

Dealing with death is never easy. Especially if it happens to someone close to us, such as a family member. Despite this, the mourning and pain for the loss of a loved one should not hinder the obligation imposed by law on executing the probate proceedings within 60 days, under penalty of a fine of 10% of the tax amount. If the delay exceeds 180 days, the fine is increased to 20%. Furthermore, the deceased taxpayer who paid taxes throughout their whole life must still witness, wherever they are, the unpleasantness of having part of their properties literally confiscated by the public authorities, under the title of cause mortis estate and gift tax (ITCMD).

The Brazilian Congress approved on May 11, 2022, Law #14,388/2022, also known as the Electronic Drug Labels Act. Its aim was to shift from paper package inserts to digital labels, resulting in amendments to Law #11,903/2009, which regulated the tracking of drug production and consumption through electronic data capture, storage, and transmission technology. In turn, this law had already been partially changed by Law #13,410/2016, which addressed the National Medicines Control System.

Without much ado, the American Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published the General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG). This guide is intended for use by several segments of the health care sector, such as hospitals, nursing homes, medical equipment suppliers, among others. Its objective is to encourage the development and use of internal control resources, in order to monitor compliance with provisions of applicable statutes, regulations, and programs.

The past few years have been tumultuous, particularly for Brazilians, in the battle against corruption. Controversial judicial decisions, sparking significant debate, diminished the effectiveness of Operation Car Wash (“Lava Jato”), a landmark anti-corruption probe, in Brazil. The once unassailable figures in the fight against corruption found themselves vilified in a country prone to casting shadows on those in the spotlight.

On November 22, 2017, Decree #9,203 was drafted by the president at the time, Michel Temer, dealing with the governance policy of the Federal Government, its agencies, and foundations.

The French anti-corruption act called Sapin II, number #1691/2016, is celebrating its anniversary this December 9th, after seven years of existence.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland has been the focus of attention among data protection commissions in other European nations due to the fines they have imposed on technology giants. Despite this, the outcome of the cases leaves much to be desired.

The American agency Food and Drug Administration (FDA) innovated once again by creating a new guide on real-world evidence (RWE) and real-world data (RWD) to support drug approval.

On March 29, 2023, “The New York Times” published an article regarding an open letter signed by more than a thousand leaders in the technology sector, including Elon Musk, president of Tesla, Space X, and X (formerly Twitter). The letter requested a stop in the development of artificial intelligence above GPT-4, developed by OpenAI, considering the potential risk of threatening the very existence of society as we know it and even humanity.

The advancement of technology is overwhelming and inevitable. However, while it revolutionizes communication on a global scale, enabling easy access to information and taking progress to previously inaccessible places, it can have the opposite effect, with a hidden purpose perpetrated by those who maliciously convert a lie into a truth. In fact, as Joseph Goebbels, minister of Nazi propaganda, said, “a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth”.

Although the headquarters of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is located in Geneva, Switzerland, few people are aware that the organization was founded after a meeting that took place in London, England, in 1946, shortly after the end of the Second World War. At said meeting, 65 representatives from 25 countries sought to discuss the future of international standardization in several areas.