MOH to review cord-blood banking regulatory requirements after Cordlife storage lapses

THE Ministry of Health (MOH) will review the regulatory requirements for cord-blood banking providers, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 10).

This comes after private cord-blood bank Cordlife Group : P8A 0% was found to have stored cord-blood units at suboptimal temperatures.

The regulatory requirements to be reviewed include the frequency of inspections and other aspects of inspections, as well as monitoring and reporting requisites.

“However, in reviewing these regulations, we also need to be mindful not to add inappropriate costs and regulatory compliance burden,” said Puthucheary in response to questions from Marsiling-Yew Tee Member of Parliament Hany Soh, adding that the ministry will need to take a “risk-based approach”.

Cord-blood banking in Singapore is regulated under the Healthcare Services Act and through the Healthcare Services (Cord Blood Banking Service) Regulations. Currently, the cord-blood banks are subject to scheduled inspections once every two years, with MOH also conducting additional visits, including unannounced visits.

Mainboard-listed Cordlife was in November slapped with a six-month suspension from collecting, processing and storing new cord blood and providing any new types of tests, after MOH found that seven of its 22 storage tanks were exposed to temperatures above the acceptable limits of below -150 degrees Celsius.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

These lapses had occurred as early as November 2020. One of the seven tanks, which contained around 2,200 cord-blood units belonging to 2,150 clients, was exposed to suboptimal temperatures for several days in 2022, damaging its units.

Cordlife’s clients have paid large sums to store their children’s cord blood, which is rich in stem cells. These stem cells can be used in stem cell transplants, in the event such a transplant is required to treat illnesses that develop later in life.

Many of these customers have since approached MOH for assistance, with most stating they want Cordlife to rectify its shortcomings, said Puthucheary. He noted that this will be the ministry’s “supervision priority”, even during investigations.

While customers have also asked about transferring their children’s cord blood to other providers, MOH has advised them to wait for the investigation to complete, likely in a few weeks’ time, before deciding whether to do so, Puthucheary added.

The ministry has engaged the other storage providers in Singapore – namely private cord-blood banks Cryoviva (Singapore) Laboratory Services and StemCord, and the public Singapore Cord Blood Bank – which are prepared to assist.

“Transferring cord-blood units at ultra-low temperatures is a complex task and carries risks that are not insignificant,” said Puthucheary.