Turkey Almost two decades after initiating large-scale health system reforms, Turkey has consolidated the provision of universal healthcare coverage to over 95 percent of the population. The effort, part of the country’s Health Transformation Program introduced in 2003, has been commended by international organizations across the world. But today, as citizens…

Morocco After implementing the most successful COVID-19 inoculation campaign on the African continent, Morocco is looking to bolster its biologics and vaccine manufacturing capacity via two major agreements with Swedish CDMO Recipharm and Chinese Sinopharm. The North African nation hopes to be better able to supply the health needs of its…

Japan Writing in the July issue of DIA’s Global Forum magazine Pfizer R&D Japan’s Atsushi Kitamura examines how both pharmaceutical companies and patients in Japan can help increase patient engagement in the clinical trial process.   Patient engagement in clinical trials in Japan has been progressing steadily in the last few…

Asia-Pacific Writing in the July issue of DIA’s Global Forum magazine Serene Ong and Gaurang Majmudar of clinical trial logistics specialists Marken outline why the shift to decentralised clinical trials brought about by COVID-19 is likely to stay in place post-pandemic.   The face of clinical trials has been changing rapidly,…

USA The latest from US health care policy, including the Senate budget deal funding for a range of major health care priorities; Biden’s proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency that would reshape the government’s medical research efforts; the Senate Finance Chair’s proposal to lower prescription drug prices; the FDA’s internal investigation into…

Singapore Singapore recently outlined its latest Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan, with plans to invest some USD 20 billion over the next 5 years. Here, three key stakeholders from government, academia, and industry weigh in on what Singapore’s current performance and future potential as an innovation hub, translating its…

South Africa With Africa struggling to vaccinate its populations against COVID-19, the World Bank – along with government institutions from the USA, Germany, and France – has intervened to loan South African firm Aspen Pharmacare EUR 600 million (USD 712 million) with the aim of increasing vaccine manufacturing know how across the…

South Africa The latest from South African pharma, including President Ramaphosa’s blunt criticism of Big Pharma, Aspen’s reception of USD 700 million in international financial aid, Adcock Ingram’s disappointing results as fewer elective surgeries and doctor visits hit their first half revenue, and the battle to bridge digital divide in COVID-19 vaccination…

China A historic approval for Fosun-Kite’s CAR-T therapy Yescarta in China looks set to pave the way for further developments in the Chinese cell and gene therapy space, as multinationals look to bring their new therapies to the rapidly expanding China market   Yescarta, originally approved in the US in 2017…

Mexico During a year where the Mexican economy shrank 8.5 percent, Novartis Mexico experienced a modest one percent growth which Country President Fernando Cruz, qualified as “reasonably good” considering the impacts of COVID-19, down from 4.5 percent growth in 2019.   “In summary, our strategy for 2021 is to be aggressive…

Colombia The latest news from the Colombian pharma market, including a new (legal) US cannabis deal; Bayer’s updated regional strategy; a pandemic-induced OTC product boom; Faes Farma’s growth; and why prostate cancer remains a significant concern in the country.   Colombia-Based Clever Leaves To Donate $25 Million Worth Of Cannabis To…

Turkey After an international career spanning 25 years, Demet Russ returned to her native Turkey to lead the Janssen affiliate during a tumultuous time and is aiming to give back to her country by improving patients’ access to life-saving therapies.   For Russ, what began as a consultant role at McKinsey…