Switzerland With cancer now causing one in eight deaths globally and, in Europe, even outpacing serious cardiovascular conditions in terms of prevalence, Switzerland has long positioned itself firmly at the vanguard of countering a disease which the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts will reach an incidence rate of 22 million new…

Switzerland Indian generics powerhouse Dr. Reddy’s has prioritized biosimilars as a key component of the global organization’s ongoing transition into a specialty pharma company.   As one of the first companies in the developing world to branch out into this segment – launching four biosimilar products between 2001 and 2011 –…

Switzerland Worldwide, severe side effects from classic medicine are becoming a health risk in themselves, often misdiagnosed as symptoms of other problems, resulting in further prescriptions, further side effects and unanticipated drug interactions; the so-called ‘prescription cascade’. Saad Harti, founder and CEO of botanical biopharma company Legacy Healthcare, describes this situation as “a…

Sweden The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their discovery of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. Since the establishment of the Nobel Assembly in 1901 at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, 219 researchers have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology…

UAE LIFEPharma, a subsidiary of UAE-based VPS Healthcare, has signed a Dh 200 million (USD 55 million) deal with Canada’s Apotex to produce 120 million generic tablets and medicines for Motor Neurone Disease annually over the next 10 years.   This partnership is an important milestone, not only for LIFEPharma and…

Hungary Hungary’s Minister of Finance Mihály Varga has repeatedly underlined the importance of the pharmaceutical industry to the country’s economy in recent weeks. With this strong governmental backing, pharma stands to increase its standing within the overall Hungarian economy.   Speaking at the inauguration of a new plant for Egis Pharmaceuticals…

USA Carla Smith looks at the various cybersecurity risks that exist across the US healthcare continuum and the steps that executive leadership can take to combat this threat.   Keeping patient data safe and secure remains a challenge. Thanks to a 9-year review of experiences in the United States, we know…

USA The US drug-price watchdog, The Institute for Clinical & Economic Review (ICER) recently issued a “Report on Unsupported Price Increases,” picking a number of innovative medicines that it says have seen price hikes without sufficient substantiation. While the study made the headlines, Certara’s Ulrich Neumann calls for some scepticism and…

Taiwan In an effort to enhance trade and cooperation with other countries in the region and reduce dependency on mainland China, in 2016 Taiwan’s government introduced the New Southbound Policy (NSP). The policy has been designed to leverage educational, technological, and economic assets to enhance Taiwan’s regional integration and increased medical…

Thailand Thailand country managers from three of the world’s largest medtech firms outline the level of innovation they are able to bring to the Thai market, how their technology is helping a stretched universal healthcare system to become more efficient, and the importance of education and partnerships within their overall strategies.…

Puerto Rico Four top facts you may have missed about Puerto Rico’s medical device manufacturing industry.   Fact 1: Medical device manufacturing in Puerto Rico started with Baxter in the 1950s  Baxter arrived in 1958 under the name of Travenol and opened its first plant in Carolina, making it the first life…

Puerto Rico Three heads of manufacturing for big pharma affiliates in Puerto Rico elaborate on how digital technology is revolutionising pharma manufacturing processes.   More than half of the world’s top 20 multinational pharma companies conduct manufacturing processes in Puerto Rico, and the island manufactured half of 2018’s best-selling drugs. Some Puerto…