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An amended version of the draft Federal Law "On Circulation of Medicines" was recently placed on the web site of the Russian Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development and has attracted much attention and criticism. Many suggestions were made to improve the initial Draft Law so as to ensure the effective functioning of the Russian pharmaceutical market, and this has now passed its first reading in the Duma, the nation's Parliament. Russia is one of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries which is currently attracting a great deal of attention from the pharmaceutical industry. 8 March 2010
Generics
The Belgian pharmaceutical trade group pharma.be has issued a strong rebuttal of an article published last week in the local newspaper Le Soir, saying that drug spending by the country's Health Insurance Agency, the INAMI, of 3.2 billion euros ($4.37 billion) increased 12.5% in 2008 compared to 2007 and volume (4.2 billion in 2008) had seen a rise of 6%. Le Soir thus concludes that the average cost per unit of medicine has increased significantly, it points out. 8 March 2010
article
The 2010 outlook for Lithuania's pharmaceutical market is fairly negative, according to Business Monitor International. Despite an almost inevitable uptick in relation to an extremely poor 2009, where the country was one of only a few globally to witness sales contractions, the road to recovery will likely be long. 5 March 2010
Generics
Final decisions on whether generic substitution will be introduced in England have yet to be made, the UK government has insisted, comments Tom Moberly writing for HealthcareRepublic. Responses to the current consultation (The Pharma Letters passim) on whether pharmacists in England should be allowed to switch drugs prescribed by brand to generic alternatives will inform any decision, the Department of Health said. 5 March 2010
Pharmaceutical
Despite its relatively small pharmaceutical market, Slovakia remains a key market for major firms in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Reinforcing this trend, the country is ranked in seventh position in Business Monitor International's Business Environment Ratings for the first quarter of 2010 and can be considered a relatively low-risk proposition for multinational pharmaceutical companies. 4 March 2010
Pharmaceutical
The release last Friday of the Australian federal government's Health Technology Assessment Review highlights some key future developments in the way governments assess new prescription medicines and other medical technologies for subsidy. 2 March 2010
Generics
German drug major Bayer seems to be making some progress in its patent fight in India, after the country's Supreme Court admitted a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the company seeking introduction of a patent linkage system. The move comes after a landmark judgement on February 9, when the Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal by Bayer on the same issue. 1 March 2010
Biotechnology
In recognition of World Rare Disease Day which took place yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) last Friday announced a more streamlined process to help regulators better identify and share information throughout the development process of orphan drug and biologic products, which are developed specifically to treat rare medical conditions. Both agencies have agreed to accept the submission of a single annual report from sponsors of orphan drug and biologic products designated by both the USA and the European Union. 1 March 2010
Generics
The special purchase procedures enjoyed by Thailand's Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), the state drug company, must be revoked, in order to support free market competition and help local manufacturers survive amid fierce competition with foreign pharmaceutical companies, argued Chernporn Tengamnuay, president of the Thai Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (TPMA), reported by the local newspaper, The Nation. 1 March 2010
Biotechnology
The exchange rate of the Mexican peso against the US dollar is causing uncertainty, with increasing pharmaceutical import costs, according to a new report from Espicom. In spite of moderate growth, the sector will continue to offer long-term opportunities. Takeda is one of the latest multinational producers to establish a subsidiary in Mexico. 25 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
South Africa's Treasury has set aside an extra 8.4 billion rands ($1.09 billion) for HIV/AIDS over the next three years, reflecting its commitment to improving the quality of services for people affected by the disease and doubling the number of patients getting life-saving antiretroviral therapy, reports the local newspaper, the Business Daily. 25 February 2010
Generics
A new collection of management reports from Espicom Business Intelligence looks at the 'E7' (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey) outlook for their pharmaceutical industries to 2012, finding that these countries' economies represent increasing opportunities for drugmakers constrained by maturing markets in the west. 25 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
Following allegations that UK drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline knew that its diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) increased the risk of heart attack among patients using it (The Pharma Letter February 22), the company yesterday responded to the US Senate Committee on Finance's highly critical staff report with a strong defense of itself and of its product, claiming the report was erroneous and inaccurate. 25 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca's 505 million ($779 million) settlement over a long-standing drug transfer pricing issue may have got the UK's HM Revenue & Customs off its back , but it gives little insight to others as to the thinking of the British tax authority (The Pharma Letter February 23). 25 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
In a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the USA's House and Senate Committees charged with oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Coalition for Vaccine Safety (CVS) is calling for hearings to investigate HHS, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other government agencies for failure to fully address issues of vaccine safety as intended by the Mandate for Safer Vaccines in the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act. 25 February 2010
Generics
The eighth round of negotiations towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and Central America is around the corner. However, there is concern regarding the EU's ambitions on intellectual property. The main worry is about access to medicines. Specifically, the 20 years duration and the data protection period are the thorny points. The EU proposes to extend both of them. 24 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
As US President Barack Obama holds his health care 'summit' tomorrow to try to salvage his dream of health care reform with new compromises (The Pharma Letter February 23), the US public is still split on health care reform legislation, with 43 %in favor and a like percentage opposed, according to the latest findings of the Kaiser Tracking Poll. However, the poll also finds that majorities of Americans of all political leanings support several provisions in the health reform proposals in Congress and most attribute delays in passing the legislation to political gamesmanship rather than policy disagreements. 24 February 2010
Pharmaceutical
Concerned over the propaganda being orchestrated by the vested interests that around 20%-25% of drugs produced in India are spurious, the country's pharmaceutical industry has asked the government to come out strongly with the real picture in this regard to set the record straight once and for all. 24 February 2010
Generics
The proposal that US President Barack Obama will bring to his Thursday (February 25 health 'summit' with congressional leaders to help thrash out health care reform which has become stalled since the loss of the Democrat Senate seat in Massachusetts on January 19 - contains many of the ideas from the bills already passed by the Democratic House of Representatives and the Senate, including a mandate that individuals buy insurance and a promise to "end discrimination" from pre-existing conditions. 23 February 2010
Generics
included provisions for stopping the so-called pay-to-day deals between research-based and generic drugmakers (see separate story today), Kathleen Jaeger, president and chief executive of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) expressed grave concern about the proposal. 23 February 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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