Sweden Gothenburg-headquartered Cellink has gone from a start-up to one of the world’s leading 3D bioprinting firms in just four years; firmly positioning Sweden at the forefront of this potentially revolutionary new technology.   In the coming decade we would like to continue to push the boundaries of 3D bioprinting until…

USA Meghann Chilcott offers an introductory look at the potential of customer data platforms (CDPs) to transform the way pharmacy marketers reach out to an increasingly online customer base in the USA.   CDPs enable marketers to pool customer information together from various sources for the purpose of creating seamless, data-rich…

USA Carla Smith outlines the role that a value-based care (VBC) approach can have on both reducing healthcare costs and improving overall care delivery to patients in the USA. Smith highlights VBC’s benefits to patients, payers and pharma companies, but notes that physicians are still not necessarily convinced; meaning the adoption…

Opinion Aditya Bhattacharji takes a look at the potentially damaging impact of political uncertainty across Europe – including the impending exit of the UK from the European Union – on pharmaceutical firms across the continent.   The right-leaning parties that will play a more prominent role in European politics are even…

Opinion David H. Crean highlights R&D efforts and ongoing investments in Alzheimer’s disease treatments as we enter the month of June, brain awareness month.   Alzheimer’s disease is a complex chronic disease characterized biologically by the accumulation of extracellular protein plaques, neurofibrillary protein tangles, a loss of functional synaptic connections, and eventually…

China On May 30th, and with much fanfare, Pfizer Upjohn officially inaugurated its global headquarters in the heart of Shanghai, China. Following a global re-organization mid-2018, Pfizer now operates three business units, namely Innovative Medicines (including biosimilars and a new hospital business unit dealing with anti-infectives and sterile injectables), Consumer Healthcare,…

USA David Bearman makes the historical case to be once again considered as a medicine across the USA, noting that economic – rather than health – concerns were behind the creation of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and continue to persist to this day.   With all this history, why…

Taiwan Taiwan boasts one of the most sophisticated and comprehensive public health systems in Asia. However, mounting costs and the pressures of a rapidly ageing population mean that the National Health Insurance (NHI) system may run out of money within the next two years without significant reform.   NHI expenditures have…

Algeria Yacine Sellam, president of the Algerian Society for Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacoeconomics, examines Algeria’s recent issues around medicine shortages, its root causes, and the measure being taken to counter it.   The smooth operation of the drug distribution chain in Algeria is compromised by its multiplicity of actors – from…

China Better known for its panda sanctuary and spicy local cuisine, Chengdu could be the first Chinese city to offer mutual health insurance. Eric Bouteiller examines French firm VYV’s first steps into China and the potential impact of mutual insurance – whereby the insurance company is owned entirely by its policyholders…

Opinion Brendan Shaw* outlines the benefits that greater adoption of outcome-based payment models for medicines can bring, highlights recent successful implementations, and explains why policy updates are so important to ensuring a more comprehensive rollout of these models around the globe.   We’re looking forward to being one customer of many…

Opinion Chip Davis is head of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) which advocates for greater uptake of generic and biosimilar drugs in the USA. Here, Davis argues that the generics supply chain is standardized, transparent and dynamic, helping save the US healthcare system trillions of dollars.   Savings have totaled…