Europe Physician and pharma industry veteran Iris Zemzoum is returning to Europe after leading Novartis Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa through the COVID-19 pandemic. As Novartis looks to further hone in on innovation after spinning-off generics and biosimilars division Sandoz, Zemzoum will face a unique set of challenges in her…

Japan Writing in DIA’s Global Forum magazine for June 2024, Mamoru Narukawa of Kitasato University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences takes a look at some of the positive trends impacting Japan’s drug pricing system.   Drug expenditure as a percentage of healthcare costs in Japan has been stable at approximately 22% in…

Europe Writing in DIA’s Global Forum magazine for June 2024, the organization’s Vedran Raguz reviews some of the key takeaways from DIA Europe 2024, namely the need for increased collaboration, alignment and harmonization among international regulatory bodies and stakeholders.   One of the overarching themes of DIA Europe 2024 was the imperative of…

Germany A roundup of some of the biggest stories coming out of German pharma, including Merck’s better-than-expected Q1 earnings; Stada’s possible return to the stock market; CDMO Vetter’s expanded capacity in the US and Germany; Bayer’s elimination of some 1,500 jobs, and BioNTech’s bid for MediLink’s solid tumour platform.   Merck…

USA A public health initiative said to have saved over 25 million lives, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has had an enormous impact on the fight against HIV/AIDS through providing HIV treatment, prevention, and education. Since its inception in 2003 PEPFAR has largely enjoyed bipartisan support within…

Global One of the doyens of European biotech is stepping back from general management. Jean-Paul Clozel founded rare disease focused Actelion along with his wife Martine Clozel in 1997, a company that went on to become publicly traded and launch three blockbuster drugs. The Clozels then sold up to J&J for…

Switzerland The latest news from Swiss pharma and biotech including a new CEO appointment for leading CDMO Lonza, promising Phase III readouts from Novartis’ latest leukaemia drug at ASCO, Roche’s pivot to obesity, and why the Swiss industry is betting big on artificial intelligence.   Lonza appoints Wolfgang Wienand as new…

Spain A roundup of the biggest stories emerging from Spain’s pharma industry: Grifols pushes to improve governance after accusations of overstated earnings; Rovi and Insud join forces to create Spain’s first semi-public pharmaceutical company; Almirall and Eloxx Pharmaceuticals sign a licensing agreement for a rare dermatological disease asset, and Esteve acquires…

UAE Long-established as the Middle East and Africa’s leading country in terms of rapid access to biomedical innovation, the UAE is looking to bolster this positioning in the coming years. Indeed, allowing innovation to flourish – including through hosting greater numbers of clinical trials in the country and protecting intellectual property…

Mexico While the COVID-19 pandemic revealed vulnerabilities that sent many organizations looking for ways to bring supply chains closer to home, geopolitical tensions have also encouraged companies to avoid dependence on China. MedTech, like the automotive sector, is turning to Mexico where it can easily reach the vast North American market…

Global Marijn Verhoef, Director of Operations and Research at the Access to Medicine Foundation examines the interconnected challenges of drug shortages and antimicrobial resistance. Verhoef urges decisive and urgent action from the pharma companies that manufacture lifesaving antibiotics and antifungals to ensure that patients can get the right medicine when they…

India India faces a significant diabetes burden, with some observers even labelling the country ‘The Diabetes Capital of the World’. Around 101.4 million adults, or 11 percent of the Indian population, have diabetes.   As Dr Brij Mohan, president of India’s Diabetes & Obesity Centre surmises, Indians tend to develop diabetes…