Dr. Khoo Teng Chuan, a leader and expert in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors across Asia, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 56.
Most recently, Dr. Khoo worked as chief medical officer for the Singapore Clinical Research Institute, after joining the institute as senior vice president in 2010. In this role as chief medical officer, he worked closely with Singapore’s national agencies including the National Medical Research Council, Health Sciences Authority of Singapore, Economic Development Board, Spring Singapore, IE Singapore, A*STAR and its research institutes. He also worked as an Industry Guest Lecturer for the Singapore-Stanford Biodesign Program.
Prior to his work at the research institutes, Dr. Khoo worked as vice president, Strategic Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson Medical Asia Pacific for 11 years. In that role, he provided leadership for a broad range of business functions.
He served as co-chair of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) Pan-Asian Advisory Panel (PAAC) from 2013 until his death, and as founding executive member and vice chair of the Singapore Medical Technology Industry Group (MTIG).
Sherry Keramidas, PhD, executive director at RAPS, described Dr. Khoo as a real force in the regulatory and clinical communities, with a long and distinguished career.
He also served as chairman of the ASEAN Medical Device Industry Association (AMDIA), chair of the American Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Committee, Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturer's Association's (PhRMA) Asia Pacific Policy Advocacy group and special representative for the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed).
As a member of the Asian Harmonization Task Force and ASEAN Harmonisation efforts, he advocated for the Asian Harmonization Working Party to be a subgroup of the Global Harmonization Task Force on Medical Devices (GHTF), which is now known as the International Medical Device Regulators Forum. In these appointments and positions, Dr. Khoo worked with regulators and governments in Asia and Australia in the formulation and shaping of healthcare policy for more than 16 years.
Dr. Khoo is survived by his brother, Khoo Teng Cheong. A wake was held in his honor on Wednesday at Mount Vernon Funeral Parlor in Singapore. Additional services will be held Thursday and Friday morning at Mandai Crematorium Hall in Singapore.