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
The Ukrainian pharmaceutical trade body the APRaD has issued a notice of its position on the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU) on some issues of state regulation of prices for medicines (the National List of Essential Medicines) in the context of improving patients' access to innovative medicines and necessary therapies. 1 June 2015
With Europe and the USA accounting for more than 80% of global sales of new medicines and 75% of global R&D in life sciences, while creating and sustaining over 1.5 million direct jobs in the research-based pharmaceutical sector, pharmaceuticals is nothing, if not a truly transatlantic industry. 1 June 2015
Trade group AusBiotech has expressed bitter disappointment at the Australian government's move yesterday to re-introduce legislation to cut the Research and Development Tax Incentive benefit by 1.5%, and urged the Senate to reject the legislation. 28 May 2015
AusBiotech, the representative body for Australia’s biotechnology industry, has made a draft submission to the country’s federal government on the future of its taxation system. 26 May 2015
The Indian government's plan to open around 5,000 low-cost medical stores and pharmacies across the country appears to have been given a fresh lease of life, with a pilot scheme set to relaunch the sale of cheap, and in some cases free, generic drugs across six states, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 26 May 2015
Representative bodies for the US pharma and biotech industries have spoken in support of the 21st Century Cures legislation passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 22 May 2015
US Senators Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota) yesterday introduced the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures and Treatments Act (OPEN ACT) OF 2015. 22 May 2015
The Russian government plans to provide subsidies to domestic drugmakers as well as foreign producers, which localize their production in Russia, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 20 May 2015
Though the European Union has been urging India to adopt provisions beyond World Trade Organization's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a new chapter appears to have opened in India over data exclusivity, one that would interest drug multinationals both from the EU and the USA, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 11 May 2015
In the USA last week, the bipartisan Partnerships to Advance Revolutionary Technology and Novel Entrepreneurial Research (PARTNER) Act (HR 2179) was introduced to the Congress. 3 May 2015
Spanish trade group Farmaindustria’s General Assembly gathered last week in an extraordinary meeting and authorized the signing of a Collaboration Protocol with the Ministries of Finance & Public Administrations, and Health, Social Services and Equality. 3 May 2015
Medical industry body Medicines Australia and other industry representatives have appeared before the Australian Senate inquiry into new, innovative and specialist oncology drugs in the country. 20 April 2015
At the urging of US Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Elijah Cummings, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General has agreed to investigate how sudden price hikes by generic drug makers are driving up the cost of taxpayer-supported health care. 16 April 2015
The Russian government plans to approve a new plan of import substitution in the national pharmaceutical industry shortly, according to Sergey Tsyb, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 1 April 2015
The French government has launched a national action plan to promote the use of generic medicines, aiming for a saving of 350 million euros ($375 million) by 2017. 1 April 2015
Leading Ukrainian pharmaceutical producers have called on the national government to revise the earlier adopted decision to provide preferences to foreign drugmakers over local firms during the state tenders for the purchase of drugs. 27 March 2015
The Ukrainian pharma organization, the Association of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (APRaD) has visited Brussels to meet with the EFPIA and other European Commission services to discuss the advancement of healthcare reform in Ukraine. 23 March 2015