Tagged with health

Belgium Belgium, one of Europe’s most important countries for biopharmaceutical production and R&D, assumed presidency of the Council of the European Union on the first of January. As part of its Presidency Programme, Belgium has highlighted health as one of its 14 focus areas, with the hope of strengthening the three…

Portugal Health Cluster Portugal is currently spearheading a EUR 90 million EU post-COVID Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) project in Portugal focused on smart health, secondary use of data, and clinical trials. Executive Director Joaquim Cunha highlights the ways in which COVID acted as a catalyst for healthcare transformation more broadly,…

Portugal Country manager at Lundbeck Portugal, Sara Barros, came to the Danish company after a number of management positions at larger pharma companies and took on the leadership of its local affiliate about three years ago. She comments on the shift in societal attitudes towards mental health, discusses Portugal’s psychiatric care…

France Just five months after taking office, Aurélien Rousseau resigned from his role as health minister in protest against France’s recently adopted immigration law. Interim replacement Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, the sixth health minister since 2017, is not expected to stay long after accusations relating to gifts she obtained from pharma…

India Ayushman Bharat, launched in 2018, is a monumental scheme addressing the lack of healthcare accessibility and affordability for over 500 million people in India. Dr Indu Bhushan, Ayushman Bharat’s inaugural CEO, explains how the scheme was swiftly implemented, utilizing socio-economic caste census data to determine eligibility inclusively; how it reduces…

India Sandeep Verma shares his journey of establishing Bayer’s consumer healthcare division in India and reflects on the challenges faced during the division’s inception amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of trust in collaborations with manufacturing units. He delves into Bayer’s strategies for market expansion, dispelling myths about self-care in…

Morocco Morocco is currently implementing the most ambitious, far-reaching, and comprehensive health system reorganizations in its history. “What sets this reform apart from all that has happened before is just how starkly it differs in spirit from previous incremental and piecemeal initiatives that have been attempted over the decades,” proudly asserts…

United Kingdom Since its creation over 20 years ago, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) body for England and Wales, has forged a solid reputation as one of the world’s foremost HTA authorities. Speaking at the recent FT Global Pharma and Biotech Summit, NICE…

India As secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) Sudarshan Jain represents the interests of 25 leading Indian pharmaceutical companies, both at home and abroad. He outlines the association’s focus on quality, innovation, and global reach, why the IPA is aiming to position India as a global benchmark for pharma…

MENA With a healthcare system marked by both progress and difficulties due to the country’s economic overreliance on the oil and gas sector and its recent political instability, Algeria, is the second largest pharma market on the African continent. Recent reforms have also sped up drug approvals and are turning the…

USA Nominated by President Joe Biden, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) new director Monica M. Bertagnolli took the reins of the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research earlier this month. With a clear focus on improving access and clinical trial diversity, Bertagnolli’s priorities for the role appear to align…

Morocco   General Director Dr Aziz Mrabti discusses the Moroccan Medicines & Pharmacy Directorate (DMP)’s transition to an independent regulatory authority, highlighting its potential to enhance autonomy and international recognition. He also emphasizes Morocco’s commitment to supporting the growth of the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, both domestically and internationally, amid the…