Russia In the latest twist in the ongoing story of Russian interference in the US presidential elections of 2016, it has emerged that Russian internet trolls and automated bots spread misinformation about vaccines on Twitter to stir up division in the US. Researchers at George Washington University, while working on a…

Novartis In the latest in a wave of Big Pharma companies retreating from the field of antibiotics, Novartis has decided to drop its antibacterial and antiviral early-stage research programs, laying off 140 staff in the US. This comes at a time when antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria – so-called ‘superbugs’ – are…

USA Blue-chip drug makers holding USD 200 billion in cash, mostly overseas, will start investing more of it in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) after President Trump’s tax overhaul slashed the cost of spending the money in the US, debt-ratings firm Moody’s predicts. The ratings firm names Amgen, Pfizer, Gilead, and Celgene…

USA Tech giant Amazon’s acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack has caused the stock prices of rival healthcare distributors in the US to fall dramatically. With this move, Amazon has signalled its intent to move into the medical distribution arena and promises to seriously disrupt the way the industry operates. “This acquisition…

Cannabis While many Canadian medical cannabis outfits cover the entire value chain, from research and development through to manufacturing and distribution, others – such as Canopy Health and Tetra Bio-Pharma – are taking their cues from the biotechnology industry and strictly focusing on clinical trials.   I believe that across the…

Valeant Valeant Pharmaceuticals has taken the decision to rename itself in an effort to distance the company from a series of pricing scandals that occurred under previous CEO J. Michael Pearson. Following the loss of nearly 93 percent of its value, the much maligned firm has announced that it will adopt…

R&D With the USD 62 billion deal from Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical to buy Irish firm Shire finally agreed after months of wrangling, we asked PharmaBoardroom’s readers whether this deal would herald a flurry of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) within the pharma world. “Biotech and pharma M&A activity dropped to its lowest…

Canada Despite its relative youth, Canada’s medical cannabis industry is already presenting some of the characteristics of the much more mature pharmaceutical industry. There is consolidation as well as the first moves towards differentiating business models. “With medical cannabis, there is a chance to re-evaluate entirely the way we look at…

Ecuador According to the World Bank, Ecuador had a GDP per capita of USD 5,970 in 2014; a comparable level to USD 6,000 in Peru and 5,800 in Colombia for the same period. However, governmental instability and transnational organized crime has had a severe impact on Ecuador’s reputation and security over…

Canada Several smaller pharmaceutical companies – Taiho, Valneva, Mallinckrodt, Théa and Intercept Pharma – have chosen to set up operations in Canada very recently, recognizing the potential for product launches and development or taking back their out-licensed portfolio. “The establishment of the Canadian affiliate had always been part of our global expansion…

Brazil When combining the sheer size of Brazil – the fifth largest country in the world – with its tropical climate, its largely perfectible infrastructure, and the soaring importance of temperature sensitive biologicals, one understands the urgent need to develop solutions guaranteeing appropriate transport conditions in Brazil. “We may be vaguely…

Brazil “Brazil undoubtedly holds great development opportunities for the global pharmaceutical and healthcare industries,” boldly states Minister of Health Ricardo Barros, “and we hope to gain the trust of an increasing number of international investors and jointly work on improving the healthcare products and services available to our 207 million Brazilian…