USA Global e-commerce giant and the world’s fifth largest company by market capitalisation, Amazon is continuing its expansion into the healthcare space with the launch of a five dollar monthly medicine subscription plan for Amazon Prime members in the US.   The plan, named ‘RxPass’ covers 60 generic medications used to…

Saudi Arabia The latest news from the Saudi healthcare and life science industry, including how the implementation of COVID-19 measures have helped reduce the prevalence of MERS-CoV in the country, regulatory approval for Alvotech and Bioventure’s Humira biosimilar, and Open Medical’s new partnership with Tamer Group around digital transformation solutions.   As…

Global For a  biotech that had never before brought a drug to market, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was a revelation. Not only did the vaccine validate the company’s focus on mRNA technology, it also led to huge profits, namely a net income of USD 12.2 billion in 2021 and vaccine sales adding…

Global At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck, Belén Garijo, speaking in a session on workforce transformation in the digital era, shared lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic experience, insights into the importance of building leadership skills, and using technology as an…

Global David H. Crean, Managing Partner for Cardiff Advisory, highlights the tone and tenor of J.P. Morgan’s recent 2023 Healthcare Conference held in San Francisco in light of the uncertain economic environment that saw fewer IPOs in 2022 than in previous years and numerous negative enterprise value companies trading below cash…

Global What digital skills do pharma leaders need in order to drive transformation, deliver success at scale in the business, and prepare for next-gen customer engagement? Sarah Gilchriest explores the critical capabilities and must-have skills for senior leaders, looking at the levers that drive customer-centric success in pharma and healthcare, and…

USA Initial public offerings (IPOs) —a vital source of cash for up-and-coming biotechs— saw a huge decline in 2022 with respect to the previous year. After 2021’s record of more than 100 biotech IPOs that raised almost USD 15 billion in funds, 2022 saw a mere 17 biotechnology companies launch IPOs…

China One of China’s leading vaccine manufacturers, CanSino Biologics has taken massive strides since its foundation in 2009 and has secured approvals in several countries for its ebola, meningitis, and COVID-19 jabs. The manufacturer of the world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine, CanSinoBIO is also continuing to invest in mRNA technology in…

India The latest news from the Indian pharma industry, including WHO’s recommendation not to use cough syrup from Marion Biotech after further deaths, Indegene’s expanded presence in Europe, Sun Pharma’s FDA warning and the lab partnership between Sai Life Sciences and Schrödinger.   WHO recommends not using Marion Biotech cough syrups…

Africa Diabetes is a significant, and growing, problem in Africa, making access to insulin products a regional imperative. Some important progress is being made, including a new deal between US giant Eli Lilly and Egyptian group EVA Pharma. The agreement will allow Lilly products to be manufactured in, and for, the…

Europe Edward Mc Gettrick and Sharon Gorman of Pfizer, writing in the January 2023 edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine, examine the scope and impact of the European Union’s new Regulation on Health Technology Assessment.   In December 2021, the European Commission (EC) adopted the Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (EU HTA…

Japan MSD KK’s Fumitaka Noji, writing in the January 2023 edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine, outlines some of the key upgrades that Japan’s innovation ecosystem needs to become globally competitive once again, namely around strategy and information, investment, and finding qualified experts.   Although the importance of open innovation in…