Regulation Article contributed by Carla Smith, Executive Vice President of The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) for PharmaBoardroom. Today more Canadians are dying in this crisis than at the height of the HIV epidemic. Recognizing that we need to join forces to fight the opioid epidemics in both our nations, Canadians…

Innovation Yesterday, in their usual star-studded fanfare, Apple released two new products – one of which is set to be a major disruptor in the healthcare and life sciences industry. “It’s become an intelligent guardian for your health.” Jeff Williams, COO of Apple Apple events seem more like a rock concert…

Regulation It has been reported that in 2017 around 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, many from opiates. The company receiving the most attention is Purdue Pharma, run by the Sackler Family. Last week, the Financial Times launched multiple reports on the Sackler family and revealed a shocking story of manipulative sales tactics.  The…

USA Theranos the US biotech start-up is to be dissolved after bad-blood tests exposed. Theranos was set up in Silicon Valley in 2004 by 19-year-old founder Elizabeth Holmes who was considered as a young trailblazer in the biotech industry. She was a student at Stanford University when she imagined the idea for…

Russia In the latest twist in the ongoing story of Russian interference in the US presidential elections of 2016, it has emerged that Russian internet trolls and automated bots spread misinformation about vaccines on Twitter to stir up division in the US. Researchers at George Washington University, while working on a…

Novartis In the latest in a wave of Big Pharma companies retreating from the field of antibiotics, Novartis has decided to drop its antibacterial and antiviral early-stage research programs, laying off 140 staff in the US. This comes at a time when antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria – so-called ‘superbugs’ – are…

USA Blue-chip drug makers holding USD 200 billion in cash, mostly overseas, will start investing more of it in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) after President Trump’s tax overhaul slashed the cost of spending the money in the US, debt-ratings firm Moody’s predicts. The ratings firm names Amgen, Pfizer, Gilead, and Celgene…

USA Tech giant Amazon’s acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack has caused the stock prices of rival healthcare distributors in the US to fall dramatically. With this move, Amazon has signalled its intent to move into the medical distribution arena and promises to seriously disrupt the way the industry operates. “This acquisition…

R&D With the USD 62 billion deal from Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical to buy Irish firm Shire finally agreed after months of wrangling, we asked PharmaBoardroom’s readers whether this deal would herald a flurry of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) within the pharma world. “Biotech and pharma M&A activity dropped to its lowest…

USA In 2016, rumours of a weakening FDA followed a disappointing 16 new drugs approved for the full year. However, since the beginning of 2017 the FDA has approved 26 drugs; double the amount of the mid-year average since 2007. “The eight oncology treatments approved by the FDA this year represent…

USA While pledging to lower drug prices has proved popular, the Trump administration’s proposed FDA reform has been getting some pharmaceutical executives worried. In a meeting with Big Pharma CEOs at the end of January; US President Donald Trump called for drug prices to be lowered, US production of medicines to…

USA Take our poll on Donald Trump and Pharma at the bottom of the article Speaking at a White House meeting with senior pharmaceutical executives, US President Donald Trump told drug companies to lower their “astronomical” prices. He pledged to curb regulations and lower tax rates to allow companies to do so,…