Saudi Arabia As part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious ‘Vision 2030’ economic transformation plan, the country has centralised the public procurement of medications through the National Unified Procurement Company for Medical Supplies (NUPCO). Here, some of the Kingdom’s most prominent pharma leaders weigh in on the impact of this new system for their…

China The latest news from Chinese pharma, including a historic first approval for Fosun Kite’s CAR-T therapy Yescarta; the Big Pharma losers from the latest round of price cuts for off-patent drugs; Lonza’s new investment in Chinese API manufacturing expansion; and Dingdang Health’s recent USD 220 million financing round.   Yescarta…

Switzerland Mental health is a global crisis. 25 percent of the world’s population struggle with mental illness; and mental, neurological, and substance use disorders account for 11 percent of the total global disease burden according to data from the Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI). Global mental healthcare costs are expected to…

Switzerland The small Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino, nestled away in Southern Switzerland, is fast developing its reputation as a life sciences hub which – if not able to compete directly with Basel and Zurich – has plenty to offer in a number of important niches. Ticino boasts a core of well-established…

Switzerland Regarded as one of the world’s leading regulatory bodies, Swissmedic stands alongside its equivalents in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia in terms of the evaluation and approval of new drugs, notably COVID-19 vaccines. Although its approval times are increasing, raising doubts about Swissmedic’s continued place at the top table of…

Brazil The latest news from Brazilian pharma, including an investigation into the country’s deal with Indian lab Bharat Biotech to purchase COVID-19 vaccines; the IP and regulatory challenges around personalised medicine in Brazil; and how domestic champion EMS surged in performance in 2020 thanks to COVID.   Brazil probes Health Ministry…

China MSD, which has had a presence in China since 1990, recently appointed Belgian national Anna van Acker to lead its strategically important China business. van Acker takes the helm against the backdrop of change at MSD, with a new global CEO and the abandonment of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine projects.…

Europe Jasper Kunow, MSD’s managing director for Central Eastern Europe, outlines the threat that cancer still poses to Europe, the challenges of enacting the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan across the CEE region, and how policymakers and payers can help overcome them   “In 2020, while we were all fighting against the…

Indonesia With a market value of USD 5.2 billion, Kalbe Farma has consolidated into Indonesia’s undisputed national pharma champion and has established a footprint in many ASEAN countries as well as in Africa. Today, the largest publicly listed pharmaceutical company in Southeast Asia is aiming to seize on their COVID-19-related partnership…

Denmark On April 16, the Danish government unveiled, to great anticipation and fanfare, a brand-new National Life Science Strategy which seeks to chart the course for the next three years of an industry sector that has become increasingly influential for the country’s economy. Indeed, Denmark’s healthcare and life sciences segment now…

Egypt As of today, the Evergreen boat that blocked global shipping when it got stuck in the Suez Canal has still not been allowed to leave Egypt. The infamous episode illustrated the complex situation that has affected global economies during the pandemic. But, for Egypt, the liberation of the canal symbolized…

Switzerland Thomas A. Tóth von Kiskér, longstanding CEO of Tillotts Pharma AG, a specialty pharma player focused on the digestive system, has overseen a number of acquisitions and the growth of the company from 30 to 300 employees. Here, he shares his insights on why M&A may be a better strategy…