India is set to complete 50 new greenfield pharma manufacturing plants in the next two years under its Production-linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for pharma and medical devices. 30 September 2024
The number of clinical trials of new drugs in Russia is steadily declining, which could be mainly related with the overall reduction of investment activities in the local pharmaceutical market, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 30 September 2024
Pharmaceutical laboratories, institutions, guilds and medical federations have taken on the task of designing programs to end health illiteracy in order to have informed, educated, knowledgeable and empowered communities where their health and wellbeing are concerned. 19 September 2024
Oligonucleotide therapeutics are rapidly emerging as a promising class of drugs capable of addressing a variety of genetic and complex diseases by targeting RNA sequences.1 16 September 2024
The protection of intellectual property (IP) rights of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Russia remains complex situation, according to recent statements by Konstantin Panurovsky, legal director of AstraZeneca’s Russian subsidiary, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 September 2024
The Russian Ministry of Health wants to speed registration of drugs that are not localized in the Russian Federation at the time of the application submitted by domestic pharmaceutical companies, explaining such changes by "unpredictable geopolitical situation," reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 12 September 2024
NewCo, a relatively new business model that involves a joint venture (JV) between a biotech and a group of investors to bring the biotech’s promising assets to the global market, is gaining popularity among Chinese biotechs, who traditionally rely on out-licensing deals to capitalize assets, s 11 September 2024
A significant drop has been noticed in the prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), bringing much-needed relief to the pharmaceutical industry and potentially translating to lower drug costs for consumers. 9 September 2024
Targeted alpha therapy (TAT), or radioligand therapy, is a recent hot area that attracted big pharmas like Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis. 5 September 2024
German pharma major Bayer has filed a lawsuit against the Russian drugmaker Promomed to protect the patent rights for Xarelto (rivaroxaban), its treatment for stroke prevention which is the best-selling drug in the Russian market at present, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 2 September 2024
Scientists from the Russian Institute of Immunology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) say they have created the world's first allergy vaccine. 30 August 2024
In a major crackdown, the Indian government has imposed an immediate ban on 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including commonly used antibiotics, pain relievers,and multivitamins. 27 August 2024
Russia plans to create conditions for a significant increase of domestic production of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin drugs after a sharp decrease of their imports to the local market this year, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 22 August 2024
One of the largest pharmaceutical production facilities in the Russian North-West region will soon be built in the city of Pushkino by the local drugmaker Active Component enterprise, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 14 August 2024
The shortage of drugs in Russia is deepening, and is currently being observed in almost 70 regions throughout the country and forcing the local state to consider ways to resume stable supplies to local market, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 August 2024
The Russian Ministry of Health has registered the third Russian generic of the original drug Ozempic (semaglutide) from Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk. 8 August 2024
US biotech major Biogen is disputing the launch of a Russian generic of Spinraza (nusinersen), a drug, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 7 August 2024
Domestic drugs and foreign drugs, the production of which is localized in Russia, will be given a priority when included in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED) and expensive drugs, according to a recent resolution signed by the Russian government, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 1 August 2024
Major pharmaceutical multinationals are looking to collaborate with Indian drug firms, leveraging their cost-efficient manufacturing capabilities, robust supply chains, and innovative research potential. 31 July 2024
The Russian government will be ready to significantly increase state procurements of drugs against hepatitis C in case of reduction price for them both by global drugmakers and Russian pharmaceutical companies. 31 July 2024
Russian biotech and biosimilars company Biocad is launching production in North Africa. As part of these plans, the company will start manufacturing of anti-cancer drugs at the facilities of the Moroccan pharmaceutical company SothemaLabs, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 29 November 2017
As the crackdown on Canadian drug company Concordia International continues for overcharging the UK’s National Health Service by more than £100 million over the past decade, India's drug price regulator the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has identified over 601 suspected cases of overcharging where drug companies are not complying with the notified ceiling prices. 27 November 2017
The National Immunobiological Company, Natsimbio, Russia’s leading vaccines’ producer, plans to invest 6 billion roubles (~$100 million) in the construction of a plant for the production of vaccines in the Russian city of Ufa, according to recent statements of the company's general director Maryam Khubieva. 20 November 2017
Taipei-based generics maker TWi Pharmaceuticals has bought Synpac-Kingdom Pharmaceutical (SKP), another generics supplier known for ophthalmic treatments, for NT$1.8 billion ($59.8 million), reports The Pharma Letter’s China correspondent Wang Fangqing. 17 November 2017
This year my intensive use of the Japanese health care system continued apace with four operations, multiple doctor appointments, and enumerable test procedures, writes long-time Japan pharma watcher and president of International Alliances Limited P Reed Maurer in his exclusive column for The Pharma Letter. 9 November 2017
Drug sales in Russia are steadily growing this year, according to latest data of the Russian Ministry of Health, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 9 November 2017
Even as GlaxoSmithKline and Plasticell have partnered to manufacture hematopoietic cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, based on molecular combinations to be provided by GSK, the Indian government has updated national guidelines on stem cell research to curb what officials term is the 'indiscriminate use' of stem cells for medical disorders, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 8 November 2017
French pharma major Sanofi plans to increase the volume of insulin production at its Russian plant operated by CJSC Sanofi-Aventis Vostok more than four-fold. 31 October 2017
Russia’s leading biotech firm Biocad has confirmed its plans for the building a new pharmaceutical plant in the Finnish city of Turku at the cost of 25 million euros ($29 million), according to the company. 31 October 2017
The Indian government is on the war path again. The Department of Pharmaceuticals is looking to change the method of approving prices of new drugs, despite a clear division in its ranks about amending the drug price control order, in a move that would bring non-essential drugs under price control, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 30 October 2017
Japan may have the dubious distinction of being the least understood pharma market in the developed world, writes long-time Japanese industry watcher P Reed Maurer, president of International Alliances Limited, in his exclusive column for The Pharma Letter. 30 October 2017
Takeda Pharmaceutical, together with Russia’s JSC Pharmstandard, announced the beginning of production of an anti-cancer drug, known as Adzetris (Adcetris: brentuximab vedotin). 18 October 2017
Even as French pharma giant Sanofi has stalled development work on a Zika virus vaccine candidate, India is pushing ahead with two vaccine candidates against the virus that continues to cause havoc across the world, and could cause Alzheimer's style symptoms in adults, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 9 October 2017
R-Pharm, one of Russia’s leading biotech firms, is considering expanding into the Japanese pharmaceutical market during the next several years. 4 October 2017
Russian and global pharmaceutical companies operating active substances’ production in Russia want to receive a premium of 40% of the value of the public procurements contracts signed with the Russian government, according to recent statements by Veronika Skvortsova, Russia’s Minister of Health, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 4 October 2017
Rare diseases had long been ignored in China until very recently. In May, China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) drafted a policy to accelerate the approval process for innovative medical devices and drugs, including those for rare diseases, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent Wang Fangqing. 29 September 2017
Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca may be the first multinational drugmaker operating in Russia that could sign a special investment contract with the Russian government, Denis Manturov, Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister has recently said. 28 September 2017
The Indian unit of beleaguered Netherlands-incorporated drugmaker Mylan has reached an agreement with Natsimbio, Russia’s leading producer of vaccines, on the supplies of its active substances for the production of anti-HIV drugs in Russia, according to the companies. 28 September 2017
Cancer is on the rise in India. With 1 million people diagnosed with it every year, some 700,000 of them die, making it one of the leading causes of death in the country, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 28 September 2017
The Russian government has prepared a bill simplifying the introduction of new drugs into the domestic pharmaceutical market, a spokesman of state press-service has said recently, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 25 September 2017