USA Takeda’s Jessica S. Scott examines the steps already being taken to bring greater patient engagement to drug development and the regulatory decision-making process in the USA; as well as what more needs to be done in this crucial area.   Steps Taken by FDA Under the Food and Drug Administration…

India Below is a selection of the top stories in Indian pharma from recent months, ranging from efforts to counter the coronavirus, to regulatory reform, the spike in USFDA warning letters to Indian pharma manufacturers, promising export markets, and the growth of the Indian domestic market.   Repurposing HIV drugs to…

Belgium After reaching revenues of EUR 2.323 billion in the first six months of 2019, UCB announced on December 18 that it will build an innovative multi-product biological manufacturing facility on their site in Braine l’Alleud, Wallonia, Belgium.   Headquartered in Brussels, UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines…

Belgium The second edition of the European Cancer Forum was held in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, 29 January 2020. Hosted by MSD in collaboration with the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE), and Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), the theme of this year’s event was “Towards A New Era…

Chile Against a backdrop of protests against Chile’s market-dominant socio-economic model, President Sebastián Piñera has announced a wave of reforms to address inequalities and improve treatment within the country’s healthcare system. However, there are no guarantees that these motions will pass in their entirety, or that they will quell public dissatisfaction…

Belgium Jean-Christophe Tellier became UCB’s CEO on January 1, 2015 only a few years joining the company in 2011. Before taking on the role Tellier held positions as executive VP of European Operations and later successfully led UCB’s BioBrands and Solutions division as executive VP as well.   Tellier was trained…

UK Although biotech financing in the UK took a hit last year in large part thanks to uncertainty around Brexit, 2019 was still the British industry’s third-best year on record.   The UK’s exit from the European Union looms large over all British industries, including pharmaceuticals and biotech. Unsurprisingly, therefore, UK…

Taiwan Taiwan, although small in size, boasts a strong culture of innovation as well as a universal healthcare system that is the envy of its neighbours. Here, three country managers for pharma multinationals implanted in Taiwan give their first impressions of the market and what recommends it.    NHI: Bringing the…

USA The Association for Accessible Medicines’ Chip Davis outlines the ways in which the US Medicare programme needs updating in order to promote generic and biosimilar competition and therefore increase patient access to more affordable medicines.   In this election year I hope that the candidates will lay out their solutions…

Hungary Among the efforts of Hungarian stakeholders to determine more efficient pricing and reimbursement structures, there is a common ambition to explore what is considered by many to be the next epoch of healthcare; a value-based system.   The cost of healthcare in Hungary is increasing at least twice as fast…

Hungary In 2016, Hungary transitioned from a second-tier member to a full member of the EU. As Judit Bidló, deputy director general of pricing and reimbursement for Hungary’s National Institute of Health Insurance Fund Management (NEAK), explains, this has already had a significant impact on patient access to innovative new products.…

France These are worrying times for iconic French mid-cap Ipsen. Trials for palovarotene, a treatment for rare bone disorders, have been plagued by setbacks, perhaps contributing to erstwhile CEO David Meek’s decision to quit the firm in December 2019. The company’s share price has since plummeted.   Meek’s resignation to join…