Malaysia Halal pharmaceuticals – medicines that do not contain any alcohol, parts of animals such as dogs, pigs, bees, or any other substances prohibited as ‘haram’ under Shariah law – are becoming increasingly widespread globally. This trend is especially prevalent in the Asia Pacific region, where the significant Muslim populations of…

China Following China’s vaccine scandal earlier this year, the country’s drug administration has considerably tightened up inspection processes of vaccine manufacturers which is causing shortages and raising the risk of widespread flu infection.   In July this year, Chinese vaccine producer Changsheng Biotechnology (who account for 15 percent of China’s flu…

Malaysia How Malaysia is setting itself up to provide biosimilars across the Islamic world as well as Asia.   Inno Bio Ventures, a Malaysian state-owned company originally set up to create drug security by ensuring that the country was self-sufficient in terms of medicine supply, has been making its first moves…

Malaysia Malaysia’s multi-ethnic population, disease burden, medical infrastructure and research speed, combined with its population’s proficiency in English, make the Southeast Asian nation a potentially excellent regional clinical trials destination.   We have a population of 32 million which represents a third of the world’s genomics Dr Akhmal Yusof, CRM Dr…

South Korea South Korea’s proposed Moon Jae-In Care has been subject to both praise and protest this year. President Moon Jae-in’s plan dubbed “Moon Care” will be implemented in stages throughout 2022 and pledges to expand healthcare coverage to cover 70 percent of the people’s costs. Korea currently runs on a health…

China China’s stupendous economic resurgence over the past four decades never ceases to awe, but what has captured attention in recent years has been the country’s international awakening. Against a nasty backdrop of intensifying populist nationalism, right-wing radicalism and trade protectionism in many advanced economies, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s surprising 2017…

China Cash has always ruled the start-up world and when it comes to the healthcare and life sciences sphere, the heavy investment required for R&D and the long timelines make it even more so. Luckily, China is now the second-largest VC market in the world, and a recent Preqin report highlighted that USD 65…

China The Greater Bay Area’s – and in particular, Shenzhen’s – prowess in life sciences manufacturing and development must also be attributed to the decades of experience and expertise gained from acting as OEM/ODM to global companies, in line with China’s overall positioning as the world’s factory floor. One of the…

Digital Health Rhenu Bhuller, a founding member of Frost & Sullivan’s Asia Pacific operations and expert in analysing the impact of cutting-edge tech, looks at pharma’s evolution and adoption of digital health.   The evolution of disease management and the convergence of drugs, devices and digital health in the management of various…

Hong Kong Energetically touting itself as “Asia’s World City” as well as a connector between East and West with its inextricable links to both mainland China and the international community, Hong Kong is today seeking to augment her position as a global financial center by transforming herself into a biotech and biomedical…

Malaysia Sea cucumbers – odd-looking marine animals with leathery skins and elongated bodies – can be found on ocean floors worldwide. Although more famous as a culinary delicacy in East and Southeast Asia, one Malaysian company – Healwell – is using these primitive creatures to save lives.   Dr Hassan Yaakob,…

Japan Takeda’s proposed acquisition of Shire may have come as a surprise to many commentators, but the appointment of an audacious French CEO in the form of Christophe Weber had already set the tone for the radical transformation upon which the Japanese company has embarked in its dual quest for internationalisation…