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
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
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
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
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
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
Danish patients are being offered fewer innovative treatments than Norwegians and Swedes, a new estimate from the Danish Medicines Council shows. 11 November 2024
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
In a change of stance from its earlier proposal, India's Health Ministry has proposed that either the state or central authorities be empowered to regulate drugs and cosmetic manufacture, instead of only the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). 26 July 2023
The Indian government is to make 'Schedule M' compulsory for medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) involved in drug manufacturing, to help in quality assurance and also reduce compliance burden in the pharmaceutical sector. 20 July 2023
US healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson and Japanese drugmaker Astellas have joined a growing list of companies and groups that are suing the US government over its Medicare price-setting policies. 20 July 2023
Negotiations over the future of drug pricing in the UK are off to a rocky start, as the UK government seeks to sustain the high rebate rates in the current statutory regime. 20 July 2023
Leading Russian patient communities have once again called on the state to increase public procurements of HIV drugs – in a move to prevent the risks of a shortage of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in the second half of 2023, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 19 July 2023
Drug price controls in non-US Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations reduce biopharmaceutical research and development (R&D) by more than $56 billion per year, depriving the world of 25 new drugs annually, according to a new study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy. 18 July 2023
Colombia, which is home to a $4.8 billion pharma market, will soon decide whether to authorize price-cutting generic competition with a critical patented AIDS drug, directly challenging pharmaceutical industry power under a new health ministry resolution in one of the hemisphere’s most influential states. 14 July 2023
The latest Life Sciences Competitiveness Indicators published by the UK government suggests that international investors are abandoning the country’s life sciences sector as excessive revenue clawback rates start to bite. 13 July 2023
A report commissioned by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade group representing big pharma in the USA, has highlighted the role of post-approval research and development (R&D) in advancing cancer treatment options. 10 July 2023
The High Court has issued a judgment on the judicial review brought by the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) dismissing the claim that the organization was improperly excluded from the ongoing negotiations between the government and industry to agree a new Voluntary Scheme for medicine pricing and access (VPAS). 10 July 2023
Regarding the Greek National Organization for Medicines (EOF) announcement on the issue of shortages, the trade group Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) has issued its views. 10 July 2023
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced actions to protect consumers from junk health plans, surprise medical bills, and excess costs that lead to medical debt. 7 July 2023
German multi-modal biotech Evotec has agreed terms for a $74 million project, building on work it has been undertaking on behalf of the US Department of Defense (DoD). 5 July 2023
Political and health leaders have signed and adopted the Nagasaki Outcomes Statement, calling for accelerated R&D, access, and delivery for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 4 July 2023
The Russian Ministry of Health has called on domestic drugmakers to accelerate efforts for the development and production of cheaper analogues of expensive drugs, particularly those that are used for the treatment of socially significant diseases, according to recent statements made by Sergey Glagolev, deputy head of the Ministry. 4 July 2023
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday announced actions to lower health care costs and implement President Biden’s lower cost prescription drug law – the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – which is already saving covered seniors and people with disabilities hundreds of dollars annually. 3 July 2023
Medicines for Europe, the trade body for generics and biosimilars companies in the region, has called for “a fair, cost-based approach” to regulatory fees. 30 June 2023
To ensure the effective implementation of India's National Rare Disease Policy-2021, the Delhi High Court has formed a five-member National Rare Diseases Committee to ensure that the policy benefits reach the ultimate patients. 30 June 2023