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Pharmaceutical
As part of draconian measures to reduce its debt, the Greek government has ordered that the prices of pharmaceutical products, both branded and generics, be slashed by some 25% - effective early last month (The Pharma Letter May 6), but two companies. Denmark's Novo Nordisk (the world's largest insulin supplier) and privately-held LEO Pharma have said they will not comply, arguing that such reductions would be economically unviable and risk repercussions in other markets. 1 June 2010
Generics
Amid concerns about its domestic pharmaceutical companies selling out to foreign groups - the latest being Piramal to USA health care giant Abbott Laboratories (The Pharma Letter May 21) - India's Ministry of Health is planning to call a meeting of drug industry executives on the matter, reports PharmaBiz. 28 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
In Business Monitor International's new Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Business Environment Ratings (BER) for the third quarter of 2010, Argentina is ranked seventh in the America's region, which has been expanded with the addition of countries such as Nicaragua and Honduras to cover 17 markets. 27 May 2010
Generics
Egypt's total pharmaceutical spending has been on a steady rise, reaching a calculated $2.48 billion by the end of 2009 and forecast to rise to $4.24 billion by 2014 at an 11.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to the latest report from Business Monitor International. 26 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
During the 63th World Health Assembly - which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, - Brazil
sought to create innovative mechanisms for financing R&D in the health care sector.
The Brazilian delegation suggested alternatives to finance innovation in health for replacement of the system supported by the pharmaceutical industry, based on the resulting monopoly patents. One of the reports has been conducted by the Brazilian Commission on Public Health and Intellectual Property (CIPIH) of the World Health Organization (WHO). 25 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
Citing the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association's (IPHA) latest edition of its Pharmaceutical Healthcare Facts and Figures 2010, Gerald Farrell, the IPHA's president stated: 'It is clear...that the international research-based pharmaceutical industry's footprint spans the entire island of Ireland.' 25 May 2010
Biotechnology
The USA's House of Representatives Financial Services Committee passed legislation including two important Administration proposals - a Small Business Lending Fund that provides incentives for smaller banks to make new loans, and a State Small Business Credit Initiative that would spur over $20 billion in new lending through innovative state-based programs at a time when states are being forced to cut back on them due to budget shortfalls. 24 May 2010
Generics
A Declaration has been signed by civil society organizations from Latin America, the European Union and the USA, following their recent meeting in Quito, Ecuador, to discuss access to medicines. 24 May 2010
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force yesterday released 21 draft proposals for public comment on public disclosure policies aimed at helping consumers, stakeholders and others understand how the agency operates and makes decisions. The Transparency Task Force will review the comments and decide which proposals to recommend for implementation. 20 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
The USA's Coalition for Vaccine Safety claims that a three-part investigative series on US drug giant Merck & Co's cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil highlights serious conflicts of interest across agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in the development, approval and safety surveillance of vaccines. 20 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
The World Health Organization last month held a three-day review process of the world's response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic last year. A committee of 29 independent experts set the agenda for a forthcoming year-long probe into how well the first flu pandemic of the 21st century has been managed. 20 May 2010
Generics
Efforts by the Indian Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to promote unbranded generic drugs through Jan Aushadhi (peoples drug) Stores (which supply cheaper medicines in India's state-run hospitals) received a boost this week with the state of Rajasthan government issuing guidelines to the doctors in the government hospitals to prescribe generic drugs. Some more states are expected to follow suit. 19 May 2010
Generics
In a move that has been described as a 'mortal blow' to Spain's pharmaceutical in some Spanish press reports, the nation's government has announced that it is cutting the prices of patented prescription drugs by as much as 23% in the hope of reducing what the public health system spends on medicines. The savings should amount to roughly 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion). 17 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
As has been forecast, trade group Medicines Australia member companies today signed a historic agreement with the Commonwealth Government that will, it says, ensure a stable environment for business and continued access to new medicines for all Australians. 11 May 2010
Generics
European generic drugmakers appeal to Spanish govt for measures to increase volume of copy medicines
The European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) has written to the Spanish Health and Social Policy Minister saying that price cuts must be followed by an increase in patients' access to generic medicines. 10 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
The Australian government plans to extract more savings through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, following reforms which began in 2007, and it expects to generate about A$6 billion ($5.59 billion) in savings, through exploiting the use of generic drugs once patents expire on more expensive originator medicines, reported the Sydney Morning Herald last week. 10 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
There is a need to revitalize and reorganize clinical research in South Africa, according to a new, peer-reviewed report by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has released a peer-reviewed, titled Revitalizing Clinical Research in South Africa: A Study on Clinical Research and Related Training in South Africa. 10 May 2010
Pharmaceutical
On April 1 this year, the reference drug price system in Finland had been in place for one year. In those 12 months, Finnish society saved over 150 million euros ($199.5 million), generated through the price competition between pharmaceutical companies and the generic substitution performed at pharmacies. 5 May 2010
Biotechnology
'Germany's medicinal biotechnology sector has come through the economic crisis largely unscathed,' said Frank Mathias, chairman of VFA Bio and CEO of MediGene AG. Dr Mathias was presenting a report entitled 'Medicinal Biotechnology 2010', prepared by The Boston Consulting Group for VFA Bio, the lobby group for biotechnology within the German pharmaceutical group, the VFA. The study encompasses medicinal biotech activity in both big established companies and small and medium-sized enterprises. 30 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
Australia's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.9 per cent in the March quarter, for an annual rate of 2.9 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Wednesday. The major elements driving the CPI increases were pharmaceutical prices, which rose 13.3%, vegetables, up 19.3% and the cost of electricity, up 5.9% 29 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
The nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr — known as RFK Jr — for the role of US Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) President-elect Donald Trump sent shares in vaccine companies sharply downwards. 22 November 2024
article
The UK government has reappointed BioIndustry Association (BIA) chairman Daniel Mahony as its Life Sciences Investment Envoy. 21 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
The Danish government’s newly-unveiled health reform has been praised for tackling chronic disease care and health inequalities while driving health innovation. 18 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
New research published by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) provides in-depth analysis of the economic footprint of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, across member states and compares Europe to other regions of the world. 18 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Johnson & Johnson has taken legal action to defend a contentious rebate initiative, filing a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. 15 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
The share prices of Pfizer, GSK, Novavax and other vaccine companies were all markedly lower on Friday. This was not due to the publication of disappointing research results in the sphere, or an ominous stance taken by a major regulator on a key filing, but rather a political development that could spell trouble for the vaccines field as a whole. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
BeiGene has announced plans to rebrand as BeOne Medicines, a move the cancer specialist says reflects its commitment to fighting cancer through collaboration. 15 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Danish patients are being offered fewer innovative treatments than Norwegians and Swedes, a new estimate from the Danish Medicines Council shows. 11 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
According to the Swedish pharma trade group Lif, it is positive that, in the updated life science strategy, the government expresses an ambition for Sweden to become more attractive for research investments. 11 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Li Li, Commissioner of China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and Mette Aaboe Hansen, interim director general of Danish Medicines Agency, have signed a letter of intent to promote bilateral cooperation in regulation of drugs and medical devices. 11 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Following the news that Donald Trump is the winner of the 2024 US Presidential Election, Morningstar Equity analyst Julie Utterback has published a new note about the impact of this on the managed-care industry. 7 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
UK pharma major AstraZeneca, which has invested heavily in China, hosted a sell-side analyst call on Wednesday (November 6) to discuss the recent media reports about ongoing investigations in China. 7 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Some of the UK’s leading academics and industry professionals have welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £520 million ($669 million) pledge to develop the country’s medicine manufacturing capabilities. 6 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
European regulators will decide by December 6 whether Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, can finalize its $16.5 billion acquisition of contract drug manufacturer Catalent. 5 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
The Danish government is rolling out the red carpet and welcomes several pharmaceutical companies. 4 November 2024
Generics
Medicines for Europe has launched a study of market barriers faced by European generics and biosimilar pharmaceutical companies operating in 11 key third-country markets. 31 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
Following the first Labour budget for 14 years, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) welcomes Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ measures to improve UK life sciences competitiveness. 30 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
HOPO Therapeutics has been awarded a contract valued at up to $226 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). 29 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
The Danish government has presented part of the plan for a future life science strategy, which has been welcomed by the industry. 28 October 2024
Biotechnology
Legend Biotech has removed Genscript Biotech as its majority shareholder, in a move coinciding with rising US concerns over Chinese ties within the biotech sector. 24 October 2024
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