UK In recent years, apocalyptic conversations around superbugs caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have been on the up, but just in case we were becoming immune to these warnings, the UK has dropped a big announcement that not only indicates the country’s commitment to the problem but also the imminent threat that…

France On January 21st, 2019, AstraZeneca inaugurated the extension of the group’s industrial site in the city of Dunkirk in Northern France. The launch was attended by Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, as part of the promotional event ‘Choose France,’ designed to promote…

Spain Against an alluring backdrop, big-name pharma brands are now starting to spend heavily on in-country manufacturing, development and shared service facilities in Spain.   Spain has exceedingly high youth unemployment. However, the country simultaneously possesses some of the best business universities, technical schools and hospitals. This means that it is…

UK An unusual characteristic of the UK’s healthcare landscape is that charities fund the vast majority of medical research.  According to the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), in 2017, 8 million people donated to medical research charities which funded £1.6bn in research and accounted for 47% of all publicly-funded medical research in…

UK The two Big Pharma giants today announced the merger between their consumer healthcare businesses, with the joint venture (JV) set to become the global market leader in over-the-counter (OTC) products with a market share of 7.3 percent.   This move will see GSK effectively split into two separate businesses –…

Spain Spain’s biotech scene is on the rise. In 2016 alone, the nation had a total of 651 biotech companies, with a total of 33 commencing operations in 2017. Despite these quite modest numbers in comparison to more well-established global biotech hubs, they have been accompanied by some extremely encouraging exits.…

France   LEEM – Les Entreprises du Médicament (Drug Companies)   Key people: Philippe Tcheng, President Philippe Lamoureux, Director LEEM is the French industry association which represents drug companies operating in France and is the most powerful professional organization of drug companies operating in the country. They represent more than 260 member companies,…

France ANSM – Agence Nationale de Sécurité des Médicaments et des Produits de Santé (National Agency for the Safety of Drugs and Health Products)   Key People: Dominique Martin, CEO The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) was created by the government in 2011 for strengthening the safety of…

Spain A new study shows that the Spanish population is unclear on the meaning of self-care and often seeks a second opinion online post-visiting the doctor.   Although 82.7% of Spaniards go to their family doctor when they need to ask about self-care, 49.2% admit that they find a contrasting diagnosis…

France INCa – Institut National du Cancer (The National Cancer Institute)       The National Cancer Institute (INCa) is the state agency of health and scientific expertise in oncology in charge of coordinating actions to fight against cancer. Created by the public health law of August 9, 2004, it is placed…

France DSS Direction de la Sécurité (Department of Social Security)   Key People: Director General Mathilde Lignot-Leloup The Directorate of Social Security (DSS) supervises all social security organizations: general scheme funds, basic scheme funds of independent professions other than agricultural, or special schemes funds. It also participates in the supervision of complementary…

France Commission des Affaires Sociales de l’Assemblée Nationale (Commission of Social Affairs, National Assembly)   Key People: Brigitte Bourguignon, Chairwoman Olivier Véran, General Reporter The Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly is one of the eight standing committees of the French National Assembly. The areas of competence of the Social Affairs Committee are…