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…

Portugal A new regulation is helping Portugal’s market access conditions for pharmaceuticals catch up with those of other developed European markets, with a jump in the number of approvals for 2017. The situation is further enhanced by increasing inter-stakeholder communication and transparency, and a targeted focus on removing bureaucracy barriers, from…

India The global pharmaceutical outsourcing market was estimated to be USD 115.7 billion in 2016, of which 49 percent is accounted for by contract research organisations (CROs). Within India, the contract research market is scheduled to grow from around USD one billion in 2016 to USD 1.97 billion by 2023 according…

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…

Baltics As the Lithuanian market matures, profound shifts have been taking place in the arena of human resources and how drug developers go about identifying, acquiring and retaining the personnel they require for a new age of medical science. “There are a number of emerging trends underway that are forcing companies…

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…

Lithuania With over 120,000 people whose lives are affected by the disease in Lithuania; diabetes stands as one of the country’s major health issues today. Furthermore, as Marijus Valatka, general manager for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia of Novo Nordisk – the world leader in insulin and diabetes drugs – explains, “Lithuania…

Poland Despite the global R&D excitement around oncology, cardiovascular death still remains the world’s largest killer, and according to OECD data, accounts for roughly a third of all mortalities. This trend is no different in Poland. Nevertheless, the country is taking on the challenge head on, and is considered a leader…

Lithuania Lithuania’s biotech sector has grown by between 20 and 25 percent over the last five years and accounts for over one percent of the entire country’s GDP. Key industry stakeholders are, however, split on whether Lithuania truly holds the potential to become a biotech hub that can stand alongside nations…

India Deloitte predicts that the global market for biosimilars will reach between USD 25 and 35 billion by 2020, driven by some key global biologic drugs facing loss of exclusivity in the next few years and an increasing global focus on improving healthcare access and the cost of care. Against this…

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…