Call of the wild: Singapore businesses still keen on emerging markets
Overseas trips, trade fairs set to resume despite pandemic hiatus, global uncertainties
IT WAS late 2019, and Singapore biotech startup Stratificare was all set to begin clinical studies in partnership with experts in Mexico, for a test that might prove able to predict severe cases of dengue.
The tie-up arose from Stratificare's participation in a business delegation accompanying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on his official visit to that country.
But the novel coronavirus hit – and that made it “very difficult for us to run any clinical study there”, Stratificare chief executive Anthony Chua told The Business Times.
The startup had to fall back on dengue trials in South-east Asia, and also started to look at cancer-related studies in China.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is just one of the recent challenges to have stymied Singapore companies’ plans in far-flung markets, as overseas travel al…
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
Singapore ready to harvest economic opportunities in the Philippines: Vivian Balakrishnan
Australia regulator flags surge in company insolvencies to 11-year high
Elon Musk stakes fortune on cult following who made him rich
Even without war in the Gulf, pricier petrol is here to stay
Philippine Coast Guard to join military drills with United States
Australia’s March employment unexpectedly falls 6,600, jobless rate ticks up to 3.8%