USA Clinical trial diversity not only allows for a better understanding of the safety and efficacy of new therapies in population subgroups but also plays a significant role in reducing health inequities. In conversation with PharmaBoardroom, outgoing president and global chief executive of the Drug Information Association (DIA) Barbara Lopez Kunz,…

Asia-Pacific The biggest pharma stories from Southeast Asia, including GSK’s new HPF manufacturing investment, license suspensions for Samco Farma and Ciubros Farma after Indonesia’s acute kidney injury crisis, Kalbe’s Aventis share purchase, China-based MGI Tech’s participation in Thailand’s genomics initiative and Boston Scientific’s expanded operations in Malaysia.   GSK invests SGD…

Mexico Mexico, with the second largest pharmaceutical market in Latin America, has a number of strong local pharma industry players. These companies, no longer focused solely on the domestic market, are extending their footprint into LatAm. Grupo Sanfer/Hormona Mexico has already taken up positions across the region.   Laboratorios Sanfer, founded…

China Accestra Consulting’s Zhao Lu* looks back on a year in which China’s Center for Disease Evaluation (CDE) rejected a record-breaking number of drug applications, explores some of the main reasons behind these rejections, and suggests how applicants can avoid them in future.   In 2021, China’s Center for Disease Evaluation…

Egypt First founded in 2019 as a new regulatory body independent from Egypt’s Ministry of Health, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) has made significant progress over the last three years. Now recognised as one of the MEA region’s leading regulators, the EDA can point to several notable successes in Egypt’s battle…

Spain What major regulatory trends are emerging in Europe and in Spain? As one of the founding partners of a law firm focused uniquely on the life sciences industry, Faus & Moliner Abogados, Jordi Faus has been confronting the industry’s unique legal issues for over 25 years. In a recent PharmaBoardroom…

Greece In Greece, both innovators and the generics industry find fault with the country’s rebates and clawbacks system, a hold over cost-containment measure from the country’s period of extreme economic turmoil. In conversation with PharmaBoardroom, Michael Himonas, GM of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) and Faye Kosmopolou, GM of…

Americas In 2019 the pharma industry financed some 700 clinical studies in Latin America with investments of more than USD one billion and according to FIFARMA, the leading association of innovators in the region, LatAm currently supports about 10 percent of the world’s clinical research. Local industry leaders discuss the advantages…

Taiwan The latest pharma news from Taiwan, including Gongwin-KY’s lung cancer drug approval in China, Anxo Pharmaceutical/Genovior Biotech alliance, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Metagone Biotech’s glaucoma and macular degeneration drug development, and Ever Supreme Bio Technology’s cell therapy progress.   New Gongwin-KY lung cancer drug cleared for marketing…

Egypt The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent struggle to obtain vaccines shone a harsh light on Africa’s reliance on pharma exports. As a McKinsey study notes, there were only around 375 pharmaceutical manufacturers in Africa in 2019, compared to 5,000 in China and 10,500 in India. However, some of the continent’s…

Italy After former CEO Pierluigi Antonelli abruptly announced his departure last month, the Italian mid-cap has signed on former Gilead leader, Jacopo Andreose, as its new chief executive.   [I am] looking forward to joining the Angelini team and helping to chart the next chapter for [Angelini] Pharma. Jacopo Andreose Abrupt…

Germany The latest from German pharma, including Merck KGaA’s increased gamble on external innovation, Bayer’s focus supply chain stability, CatalYm’s EUR 50 million series C financing and Boehringer Ingelheim’s deal with California biotech, Surrozen.   German CDMO Rentschler’s chief executive, Frank Mathias, stepping down (Fierce Pharma) After seven years at the…