In our weekly expert view piece, Michael Jewell, healthcare partner at Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP examines the driving forces behind the surge in acquisitions in the pharma sector and why big pharma companies are increasingly acquiring established competitors. 26 July 2016
Having spent 24 years working closely with pharma companies and regulators for one of the industry’s leading contract research organizations (CROs), Alberto Grignolo is highly qualified to talk about trends in the sector and the impact of changes on drug development. 25 July 2016
Brexit has sent shockwaves through the pharmaceutical and life science industries and although the exact extent of the fallout is not yet known, the impact is sure to be felt for many years to come. Exactly a month on from one of the most significant votes in British history, the Pharma Letter takes a look at the immediate aftermath of the decision and some of the potential long term implications. 23 July 2016
George Scangos is to step down as the chief executive of US biotech major Biogen, it was announced on Thursday, when the company also revealed results for 2016’s second quarter which exceeded analysts’ expectations. 21 July 2016
Ireland-incorporated Perrigo has announced that Douglas Boothe, the general manager of its Rx Pharmaceuticals segment, is leaving the company. 21 July 2016
Sales of mid- and high-priced drugs in Russia are steadily declining, due to the ongoing economic stagnation in the country and the consequences of the financial crisis, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 21 July 2016
US drugmaker Abbott is considering further expanding of its Russian business during the next several years, according to recent statements of Michael Vormut, Abbott’s executive vice-president. 21 July 2016
In our weekly expert view piece, Darren Cooper, director of industry solutions at Stibo Systems examines the implications and potential benefits of the Indentification and Medicinal Products (IDMP) standards. 19 July 2016
Mergers and collaborations are more prominent than ever in pharma and biotech, with last year proving a record-breaker for the value of deals done. However, anyone who believes this means that emerging biotechs have to partner with established big pharma players, might not have noticed the strides quietly being taken by some highly organized small companies. 19 July 2016
The race to come up with a biosimilar version of the rheumatoid arthritis treatment Humira (adalimumab) – the world’s top-selling drug – is well and truly on. 18 July 2016
The head of Eisai in Europe has pledged to subsidize the cost of thyroid cancer drug Lenvima (lenvatinib) if health bosses agree to include it in the revamped Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). 14 July 2016
The pharmaceutical industry’s use of directors from outside the sector has fallen from 40% to 26% in the last five years, research from executive search firm DHR International shows. 12 July 2016
In our weekly expert view piece, John Maloney and Eleanor Tyler, from Bloomberg Law analyze the reasons behind Federal Trade Commission's increased scrutiny on pharma deals. 12 July 2016
The Russian government is considering introducing a three-stage procedure for the public procurement of drugs, according to recent statements of an official spokesman of Denis Manturov, Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade. 12 July 2016
The Indian government is looking to widen the scope of price controls on pharmaceuticals. In a move that could create another potential hurdle for multinational drug companies doing business in India, the Department of Pharmaceuticals is examining a proposal to look into the pricing of patented drugs in the country, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 11 July 2016
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries announced today that its chief executive, Kalyanasundaram (Kal) Sundaram, has informed Taro’s board of directors of his intention to step down as CEO by the end of the current calendar year. 7 July 2016
Russian pharmaceutical companies plan to significantly increase the volume of investments in the conduct of clinical trials of their drugs over the next few years, according to recent statements of drugmakers. 5 July 2016
Novartis might have a long heritage in leading antimalarial drug development, but there is a new awareness that it needs to bring forward therapies that treat the disease in a different way, says David Hughes, senior global program head in clinical development at the Swiss pharma giant. 5 July 2016
Oligonucleotide therapeutics are rapidly emerging as a promising class of drugs capable of addressing a variety of genetic and complex diseases by targeting RNA sequences.1 16 September 2024
The protection of intellectual property (IP) rights of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Russia remains complex situation, according to recent statements by Konstantin Panurovsky, legal director of AstraZeneca’s Russian subsidiary, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 September 2024
The Russian Ministry of Health wants to speed registration of drugs that are not localized in the Russian Federation at the time of the application submitted by domestic pharmaceutical companies, explaining such changes by "unpredictable geopolitical situation," reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 12 September 2024
NewCo, a relatively new business model that involves a joint venture (JV) between a biotech and a group of investors to bring the biotech’s promising assets to the global market, is gaining popularity among Chinese biotechs, who traditionally rely on out-licensing deals to capitalize assets, s 11 September 2024
The upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 should provide a reminder—if it were needed—of the pace of innovation in the development of new medicines for cancer. 10 September 2024
A significant drop has been noticed in the prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), bringing much-needed relief to the pharmaceutical industry and potentially translating to lower drug costs for consumers. 9 September 2024
Amid an explosion in investment and development milestones seen over the past decade, the age of radiopharmaceuticals as both diagnostics and as therapeutics is very much arriving. 5 September 2024
German pharma major Bayer has filed a lawsuit against the Russian drugmaker Promomed to protect the patent rights for Xarelto (rivaroxaban), its treatment for stroke prevention which is the best-selling drug in the Russian market at present, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 2 September 2024
In a major crackdown, the Indian government has imposed an immediate ban on 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including commonly used antibiotics, pain relievers,and multivitamins. 27 August 2024
Russia plans to create conditions for a significant increase of domestic production of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin drugs after a sharp decrease of their imports to the local market this year, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 22 August 2024
Accord Healthcare might not be as well-known as certain preeminent pharma corporations in the UK and Europe, but you would struggle to find any company making a greater contribution to the production and supply of medicines across the continent. 14 August 2024
The shortage of drugs in Russia is deepening, and is currently being observed in almost 70 regions throughout the country and forcing the local state to consider ways to resume stable supplies to local market, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 August 2024
US biotech major Biogen is disputing the launch of a Russian generic of Spinraza (nusinersen), a drug, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 7 August 2024
CytoReason’s $80 million venture round may not have been the biggest in July, but it is one of a growing number of investor bets on AI powered drug discovery this year. 7 August 2024
Domestic drugs and foreign drugs, the production of which is localized in Russia, will be given a priority when included in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED) and expensive drugs, according to a recent resolution signed by the Russian government, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 1 August 2024