Ipsen These are exciting times for Ipsen in Ireland, with plans to expand the company’s already significant API manufacturing footprint to deal with increasing global demand for its products. “Sales from [Somatuline® (lanreotide) and Decapeptyl® (triptorelin)] amounted to over EUR 700 million in 2015, which was over half of Ipsen’s global…

Switzerland Switzerland has been long-established as one of the world’s most innovative countries and boasts a thriving ecosystem of startup biotechs. However, a slow and complex funding cycle means that an increasing number of Swiss biotechs are looking towards the US for funding; a trend that risks destabilising and weakening the…

Ireland The UK’s decision to leave the EU in Summer 2016 sent shockwaves throughout Europe and left neighbouring countries struggling to interpret what ‘Brexit’ means for them. Ireland, as the UK’s closest neighbour both culturally and geographically, could stand to benefit from the decision in the medium- to long-term, especially in…

Greece Despite the difficulties of the financial crisis and subsequent austerity legislation, pharma firms implanted in Greece have nonetheless continued to exhibit great commitment and staying power. “The big multinationals have not been panicking and resorting to large-scale layoffs or fleeing the market.” Konstantinos Kofinas, Merck “Regardless of the challenges posed…

Poland Poland’s entrance into the EU has been a catalyst for growth that has allowed the country to flourish, shown by the nation’s ranking as the eighth largest economy in Europe according to the World Bank. The introduction into Europe has sprung the borders open, and for the Polish pharmaceutical industry this…

Ireland Philip Martin, founder and CEO of Cora Systems in Ireland, explains why his company is ideally positioned to help the pharmaceutical industry increase efficiency and save costs through their agile, flexible and intuitive project management software solutions. “Along with tech improvements, incredible new complexity in how the industry operates has…

Ireland Much like the Irish sport of hurling, conducting R&D in Ireland is something often overlooked – unfairly, as proponents would say. Ireland has always faced a number of intrinsic hurdles in this space, not least the small patient population and more recently, the economic crisis, which forced the Irish healthcare…

Ireland The strong flow of FDI into Ireland has led to a vibrant ecosystem of Irish service providers, who have grown up servicing the needs of pharma MNCs. Working for FDI clients has put Irish companies to the test and pushed them to work to the highest standards. “Top global pharma…

Luxembourg Despite its miniscule size, Luxembourg has managed to specialize in three key areas and now has a strong claim to be a global leader in personalized healthcare, e-health and data security, and pharma logistics and air freight. “In championing personalized health, the Luxembourg authorities are indicating that they are both…

Luxembourg Sound infrastructure, a prime location in the heart of Europe, government support, and an unwavering focus on quality are all helping make the tiny principality of Luxembourg a serious player in global healthcare logistics. “Some high ranked senior logistics executives from pharma companies have commented that [the Luxair Cargo Healthcare &…

London Among the assorted pharma CEOs and KOLs gathered at the recent Financial Times Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Conference in London, debate raged on the pros and cons of a pure play strategy, focusing on a few key therapeutic areas, compared to a more diversified approach. If the 1990s and early 2000s, were all…

France Shedding light on the unique business model of French pharma’s most successful mid-cap.   Not long ago, Laboratories Servier was considered a somewhat mysterious and opaque actor on the world pharmaceuticals stage. Privately owned, smaller and sleeker than many of its direct competitors, but nonetheless formidably successful, Servier has, for…