Coronavirus During the fourth International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) COVID-19 media briefing, one thematic dominated: collaboration. With Eli Lilly chairman and CEO David Ricks, also president of IFPMA; Roche CEO Dr Severin Schwan, also vice-president of IFPMA; Pfizer chairman and CEO Dr Albert Bourla; MSD (Merck & Co.…
Europe In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent strain placed on medicine supply chains in Europe, Sandoz – the generics arm of global giant Novartis – has moved to strengthen its antibiotics manufacturing presence in Austria. The planned combined investment of EUR 150 million by Sandoz and…
Covid-19 The South African affiliate of Indian pharma firm Cipla will begin manufacturing and distribution of remdesivir, a Covid-19 drug, in South Africa this month. The company’s priority is ensuring access to vulnerable populations in emerging markets. Cipla South Africa has been granted a license to manufacture and distribute remdesivir,…
Algeria Below we present recent news from Algeria’s pharmaceutical industry, including the creation of a dedicated Ministry to boost the sector, changes to the advertising rules for dietary supplements, and local medical device manufacturers’ efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Government: Broad prerogatives for the newly created Ministry of Pharmaceutical…
Merck Teresa Rodó gives an overview of her role overseeing the development, manufacturing, supply, and quality of all of Merck’s biotech and pharmaceutical medicines and medical devices. Rodó also explains how the company has been able to withstand the supply chain challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and why Merck is…
Belgium Vincent Stephenne, managing director of Belgian CDMO BePharBel Manufacturing, highlights the company’s innovative approach to developing new galenic forms for existing molecules, its growth trajectory thus far, and his future plans for partnership strategies and expansion. Recently we have patented the new MMCR technology (for multi-layer microparticle controlled-release system)…
France French pharma giant Sanofi is pivoting its focus to invest more heavily in vaccines with a plan to invest USD 679 million in vaccine manufacturing operations in the next two years. This announcement came shortly after news of further rounds of layoffs of research staff working on cardiovascular diseases and…
Merck Merck KGaA has moved to continuously expand its manufacturing capacity and capability in recent years with a number of headline-grabbing investments in sites in its home market of Germany and across the world. Moreover, the company is now increasingly at the forefront of digitalisation and innovation in its manufacturing and…
Singapore The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a double-edged sword for Singapore. While its economy has been hit by the global crisis, the island city-state is seeing an uptick in pharmaceutical manufacturing exports to countries looking to stock up on active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Singapore’s pharmaceutical output has jumped 86 percent…
China Chinese biotech CanSinoBIO is racing against the clock to have a COVID-19 vaccine ready to begin production in early 2021. The firm’s senior VP of International Business Pierre Morgon reflects on CanSinoBIO’s progress thus far and a timeline of what we can realistically expect if and when Chinese authorities give…
Algeria In Algeria, the supplementary Finance Law for 2020 has just been published in the Official Gazette. This law materializes the authorities’ will to significantly ease the control of foreign investments in order to boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and to accelerate the diversification of the national economy. Despite several…
Europe Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel recently put their heads together to come up with a health strategy that would ensure greater European access to innovative medicines and COVID-19 treatments. The so-called “power couple” – German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron – presented a jointly developed five-point…
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