Tagged with OP

Portugal While not a major player in clinical trials at the European level, Portugal has untapped potential in this field, leveraging a first pioneering centre in Braga, the country’s strong scientific community, a growing openness to collaboration with industry, and access to a European patient database. Considering the remarkable progress that…

USA In late 2023, The Wall Street Journal published the article Generic Drugs Should Be Cheap, but Insurers Are Charging Thousands of Dollars for Them. This article examined interactions between patient health insurance prescription benefits, pharmacies, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and their collective impact on the prices that patients pay for their prescription…

Africa Writing in the February 2024 edition of the DIA Global Forum magazine, Verena Pfaffinger and Ilona Baraniak-Lang of PharmaLex examine how the drug shortages seen in the global south during and after the COVID-19 pandemic can best be overcome through the adoption of decentralised manufacturing.   The COVID-19 pandemic exposed…

Europe Rainer Westermann of venture capitalist coalition Life Sciences Acceleration Alliance reviews the potential impact of the EU’s general pharmaceutical legislation on the investment climate for the EU life sciences sector. Building on his insights from last year, Westermann urges stakeholders to seize the opportunity caused by a delay in the…

Switzerland For the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic), one of the world’s leading regulatory authorities, 2023 was an important year. Not only did the agency gain recognition from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Swissmedic also saw a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) agreement between Switzerland and the US FDA come into…

Portugal Monica Bettencourt-Dias of the Gulbenkian Institute for Science highlights the IGC’s pioneering role in biological sciences, supporting scientists and innovators who have significantly contributed to the field globally for over 63 years. She also touches on Portugal’s scientific excellence, how the IGC is balancing fundamental research with initiatives for technology…

Portugal Paula Barriga, VP & GM at Novo Nordisk Portugal, discusses the high prevalence of obesity, which affects over two million people in a country where none of the available pharmacological obesity treatments are currently reimbursed and where access to innovation is slow by European standards. She explains the need for…

CEE Some of the biggest stories coming out of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region’s pharma industry, including the European Bank’s EUR 25 million investment in Pelion Group; the amendments to Poland’s drug reimbursement act; Pfizer’s legal proceedings against Hungary, Poland and Romania, and Egis Pharma’s expansion beyond Hungary.  …

Europe Obesity is pharma’s new El Dorado. Following the spectacular market success and sky-high sales projections of next-generation obesity treatments, many actors – both large and small – are looking to carve out a slice of this huge growth market. Those who made a bet on obesity years in advance are…

Portugal Boehringer Ingelheim has a 60-year history in Portugal and, despite challenges in terms of market access and reimbursement delays, remains fully committed to providing innovative healthcare solutions in the country. General Manager Sandra Marques outlines how the firm has established itself as a major player in Portugal’s prescription retail market,…

India At a transformational moment for Indian pharma, OPPI’s Anil Matai outlines how the country’s government is more receptive to innovation and action-oriented than ever before, how the industry is increasingly aligning with global standards to foster an innovation transition, and the importance of always bearing patiennt accessibility in mind in…

Portugal Nuno Sousa details the development of Portugal’s clinical research ecosystem, highlighting the creation of the Clinical Academic Center of Braga (2CA-Braga) and its evolution. He emphasises the necessity of building on 2CA Braga’s successes to create a network of strong research centres across Portugal, making the country a more competitive…