China Even though China’s pharmaceutical sector remains largely generics-based, the Middle Kingdom’s biotechnology scene has been flourishing in recent years. Now the world’s fastest-growing biopharmaceutical market, China can boast a much-improved context in terms of drug regulation, ease of doing business, research capabilities and access to capital. Below, we highlight 5…

Switzerland Roche announced strong Group sales growth of seven percent for 2018, partly driven by the launch of MS blockbuster Ocrevus, which CEO Severin Schwan has described as the most successful in the company’s history.   2018 was a good year for Roche. The Swiss-headquartered pharma giant saw seven percent overall…

Canada As the healthcare industry continues to hype about AI’s potential to be transformative, it is important to remember that even software can harbour a certain amount of unconscious bias. Carla Smith champions transformational strategy, governance, and policy in the health sector, particularly in the areas of digital health and health IT.…

IFPMA Across the month of January, we at PharmaBoardroom surveyed our executive readership on attitudes towards the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)’s new Code of Practice, effective January 1st, 2019. To download the Code click here and to read our exclusive interview with Melissa Barnes, the IFPMA’s ethics…

Algeria Click here to download the Healthcare & Life Sciences Review Algeria 2019 report.   Algeria, Africa’s largest country by area, stands as a promising investment destination for the global life sciences industry, with a sizeable local market and a growing number of multinationals choosing to base their regional operations out…

Switzerland Basel-headquartered pharma giant Novartis announced its financial results for 2018 this week, showcasing full year net sales growth of five percent driven by the strong performance of the company’s pharmaceutical business unit and some strategic divestments.   In 2018 we reimagined Novartis. We took major steps towards becoming a medicines company…

UK In recent years, apocalyptic conversations around superbugs caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have been on the up, but just in case we were becoming immune to these warnings, the UK has dropped a big announcement that not only indicates the country’s commitment to the problem but also the imminent threat that…

Turkey Bucking a global trend for increased focus on outpatient and preventative care, Turkey is doubling down on hospital investment.   Throughout many of the healthcare systems in North America and Europe, there is an increasing emphasis on outpatient and preventative care. In terms of health economics, governments see a great benefit in…

Malaysia After 61 years of single-party rule, the May 2018 electoral victory of the populist Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition sent shockwaves through the Malaysian political landscape. This has been keenly felt within the healthcare sphere, where industry players are broadly supportive of PH’s plans to increase low-income Malaysians’ access to treatments…

India Dilip Shah, the Secretary-General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance advocates for a stronger and more empowered regulator in India if the country is to build public confidence in its pharma output and drug inspectors.    Improving the image of drug inspectors- will require investments in “infrastructure”. The key elements of this…

Mexico Cristobal Thompson is the Executive Director at AMIIF (Asociacion Mexicana de Industrias de Investigacion Farmaceutica). The AMIIF represents more than 60 global companies with the aim of contributing to improving health in Mexico through innovative medicine. In this article, Thompson outlines the country’s challenges to the healthcare system and the pharma…

China In late 2018 China adopted a novel procurement scheme with the aim of dramatically cutting the amount being paid for generic drugs. The policy’s effect on pricing stands to hit domestic generic firms hardest unless they adapt their business models. Big Pharma could also lose out as their off-patent originators…