USA In 2019 big pharma companies prioritised shareholder payouts and dividends, with the eight biggest US pharma companies topping $31 billion in stock buybacks and the same amount in dividends. Revenues were not necessarily consistent with dividend and buyback amounts, and some critics argue that payouts should be lessened in favour…

USA David Crean summarises the mood at the recent J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 2020 in San Francisco, noting a more subdued atmosphere than previous years, with reduced attendances and no big M&A announcements. Crean does, however, underline the importance of the Conference for industry networking and highlights some of the biopharma…

USA Eurasia Group’s Aditya Bhattacharji examines the stalling of healthcare reforms in the US and what changes to US healthcare it is realistic to expect.   Pharma is unlikely to be frog-marched by sweeping federal initiatives, but more incremental changes are likely With anti-pharma sentiment raging at the end of 2018,…

Opinion The AAM’s Chip Davis looks back on 35 years of healthcare system savings from generic pharmaceuticals in the US, and the peril the generics industry faces from the Lower Health Care Costs Act.   A key provision of our generic pharmaceutical architecture is in jeopardy. The “180-day exclusivity” is the…

USA Carla Smith looks at the three vital components behind successful strategic alliances in US healthcare:disruption,  data-driven demands and convenient care delivery.   Throughout my career, to bring positive and lasting change to the health sector, I’ve brokered more collaborative efforts than I can count. Strategic alliances between health leaders, nonprofit…

USA Boston University School of Law’s Kevin Outterson* looks at how cost-saving measures are contributing to the rise of drug-resistant “superbugs” in the US and the steps that need to be taken to remedy the situation.   Globally, 700,000 people lose their lives to drug-resistant infections each year In November 2019,…

Opinion Monica Weldon, CEO and president of Bridge the Gap – SYNGAP Education and Research Foundation, shares her recent experience at the US Drug Law and Regulation course in Washington, DC and expands on the role that patient associations can play in the drug development process.   In today’s environment of…

USA Peter Marks, director of the US FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, outlines how the organization is attempting to further promote the advancement of cutting edge cell and gene therapies in the US and beyond.   To keep pace with the remarkable and continuing growth of gene therapy, FDA’s…

USA The AAM’s Chip Davis examines the roadblocks to greater adoption of biosimilar drugs in the USA, and why they need to be removed to potentially save billions of dollars and increase patient access to lifesaving medications.     In a nutshell: competition brings prices down across the board Biologic drugs…

USA AstraZeneca’s Rick R. Suarez looks at workable solutions to the challenges facing healthcare in the US and why inter-stakeholder collaboration, rather than finger-pointing, is the only way forward.   Discussion and debate related to cost and quality in healthcare has never been more pronounced or more contentious, whether focusing on…

USA Carla Smith looks at the various cybersecurity risks that exist across the US healthcare continuum and the steps that executive leadership can take to combat this threat.   Keeping patient data safe and secure remains a challenge. Thanks to a 9-year review of experiences in the United States, we know…

USA The US drug-price watchdog, The Institute for Clinical & Economic Review (ICER) recently issued a “Report on Unsupported Price Increases,” picking a number of innovative medicines that it says have seen price hikes without sufficient substantiation. While the study made the headlines, Certara’s Ulrich Neumann calls for some scepticism and…