In September Enrico Gasbarra, a newly-elected Italian Member of the European Parliament (BEP) from the S&D, submitted a written question to the Commission on parallel trade. He alleges parallel distribution to be the cause for quotas to be established and shortages of medicines to occur. 10 December 2014
Pharmaceutical spending has fallen nearly 30% in Spain in last four years. According to IMS Health data, it will continue falling in 2014 (-2%) and 2015 (-3.5%) if structural measures are not taken to correct it. 8 December 2014
Trade group AusBiotech has made a submission to the Australian federal government’s consultation regarding “Boosting commercial returns from research,” as part of the Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda. 5 December 2014
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has granted interim authorization to trade body Medicines Australia for edition 17 of its Code of Conduct, a voluntary industry code of conduct for the prescription medicines industry in Australia. 4 December 2014
Urgent action is needed to address the current issues relating to the management of health care-acquired infections (HAIs) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), experts agreed at an event yesterday at the European Parliament. 3 December 2014
The UK prime minister David Cameron is to announce a £15 million ($24 million) commitment to a new fund to boost dementia research in the Autumn Statement, which will be made tomorrow. 2 December 2014
Last week, US Representatives Gus Bilirakis (Republican, Florida) and G K Butterfield (Democrat, North Carolina) took a bipartisan step on behalf of patients with rare diseases by introducing the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures and Treatments Act of 2014 (OPEN ACT). 26 November 2014
Commenting on recent evaluations of generic drug prices, Ralph Neas, president and chief executive of the US Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) argued that generic medicines are a critical part of system-wide efforts to hold down health care costs. 24 November 2014
The discount negotiated by the French government on hepatitis C drug Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), produced by US biotech major Gilead Sciences, makes it the ‘lowest price in Europe,’ according to the country’s health ministry. 21 November 2014
The UK government has announced a substantial investment package from industry, and that it is to carry out a review of the life sciences sector under the name Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review. 20 November 2014
Last month, Treasury Minister David Gauke gave a robust defence of the UK's Patent Box scheme, which allows profits from technologies protected by a UK or other qualifying patents to benefit from a lower rate of corporation tax. 19 November 2014
Australia yesterday signed the Free Trade Agreement with China, after nearly 10 years of negotiations, with Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb saying the deal was the most significant China had ever signed with a developed country. 18 November 2014
The Ukrainian government is considering imposing a ban on the import of drugs from Russia. This comes as a response to economic sanctions that were recently imposed by Russia on some Ukrainian goods. 13 November 2014
Germany and the UK have agreed a joint proposal to advance the negotiations on new rules for preferential intellectual property (IP) regimes within the G20/OECD BEPS (Base erosion and profit shifting) Project, relating to tax breaks for intellectual property. 13 November 2014
New legislation known as Vanessa’s Law (Bill C 17; the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act) has received Royal Assent and is now law, Canadian Minister of Health Rona Ambrose has announced. 11 November 2014
An American pharmacist and an Indian pharmacologist charged with smuggling four million fake pharmaceuticals into the country earlier this month may have been the last straw for the Indian government battling counterfeit drugs. 10 November 2014
The Pharmaceuticals Industry Council, a collaboration representing Australian biotech and pharma industry bodies, and consisting of AusBiotech, the Generic Medicines Industry Association and Medicines Australia, has ceased operations. 3 November 2014
The Russian National Parliament (State Duma) plans to impose a ban on the imports of unregistered drugs to Russia with the purpose of sales and making a profit in the country, according to the press-service of the Duma. 30 October 2014
The pressure from the US government on India seems to be working. With India's intellectual property rights (IPR) regime facing flak, and the USA launching an out-of-cycle review of India's IPR regime, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has set up a think-tank to draft a National Intellectual Property Rights Policy. 27 October 2014
The Russian government is considering introducing state regulation of prices for drugs in the country, reports The Pharma Letter’s Russia correspondent. 27 October 2014
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released final guidance for the second cycle of Medicare drug price negotiations. 3 October 2024
The Russian government has finalized the rules for granting preference to domestic drugs in public procurements, which will come into force in 2025. 1 October 2024
The Danish government is to remove the rules that currently prohibit the purchase of medicines from countries outside the European Union (EU) in a move that has not been welcomed by pharma. 30 September 2024
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
Global leaders have approved a political declaration at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). 30 September 2024
The generics and biosimilars trade group, Medicines for Europe, has put out a strong message amid ongoing discussions on a European Union (EU) Critical Medicines Act. 26 September 2024
US biotech Emergent BioSolutions revealed it has secured approximately $400 million in orders in 2024 and 2025 associated with its vaccinia, smallpox and mpox product portfolio. 26 September 2024
The UK government has released a position paper outlining its vision for Framework Programme 10 (FP10), a successor to Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research collaboration program. 26 September 2024
President Biden has said the USA will commit at least $500 million to support African countries in battling the ongoing mpox outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa. 25 September 2024
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is continuing its legal challenge against the US government’s drug pricing reforms. 24 September 2024
The Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research and Greek pharma trade group the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies have presented two studies reflecting the industry’s importance. 23 September 2024
Basilea Pharmaceutica announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has awarded Basilea an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), under OTA number 75A50124C00033. 20 September 2024
Novo Nordisk is under increasing pressure over the cost of its blockbuster drugs in the USA, as chief executive Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen prepares to testify before a powerful Senate committee. 18 September 2024
The research based pharmaceutical industry has welcomed Mario Draghi’s report, published by the European Commission, outlining proposals on how Europe can regain its competitive edge and the critical role of innovative industries in achieving this. 11 September 2024
Even as emerging signs of a thaw in the broader Indian start-up funding landscape were evident, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has tightened its exemption list under new combination rules. 11 September 2024
The US House of Representatives has passed the BIOSECURE Act, gaining bipartisan support with a vote of 306–81. Nearly all of the votes against the bill came from Democrats. 10 September 2024
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) has highlighted what it regards as the UK's potential to lead the global cell and gene therapy sector. 5 September 2024
The budget on October 30 is an opportunity to end short-termism, cut waste, and attract long-term investment to the country’s economy with a sector-targeted R&D tax relief policy, according to the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA). 3 September 2024
The Danish Pharmaceutical Industry Association, Lif, has given its verdict on the government financial bill setting out new priorities in health in 2025. 2 September 2024
Marseille-based ImCheck Therapeutics has received 20.2 million euros ($22.4 million) in non-dilutive funding as part of the i-Démo call for projects under the France 2030 Plan operated by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government. 29 August 2024