USA A boom in decentralised clinical trials was an unexpected effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. However, these trials require expertise and technology that can differ significantly from those needed for clinical trials, as Curavit Clinical Research’s Joel Morse writes in the DIA Global Forum’s special November 2022 issue…

Denmark Henrik Brabrand, CEO of life science-focused executive search firm Albright Partners A/S, gives his expert insight into how to stand out above the crowd and get noticed by headhunters.   So, you have decided that you may be up for a new challenge. You may not know it yet, but…

Canada Drs Neil Cashman and Larry Altstiel of ProMIS Neurosciences weigh in on recent progress towards an effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, potentially representing a break from three decades of scientific stagnation.   Are we there yet with Alzheimer’s immunotherapies? No. But we have a map, and it’s a good one.…

Europe Victor Mendonça, chair of the Generic Market Access Committee at Medicines for Europe, outlines why patient access to medicines is at risk due to intense price pressure and unprecedented inflation and proposes ways to tackle this. The COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have caused unprecedented challenges for Europe,…

Latvia Latvia has seen some major breakthroughs in recent years: more innovative medicines are available to patients than ever before; the market for commercial, OTC and reimbursable medicinal products has achieved new heights, and we are in a strong position to continue this trend. What has been accomplished and what challenges…

China DIA Global Forum’s annual review of new drug approvals in China has shown growth in both the number and types of new drugs approved in China from 2019 through 2021: from 34 new chemical drugs and 19 biological products in 2019 to 37 new chemical drugs and 24 biological products…

Asia-Pacific Through compassionate use programs patients suffering from critical, life-threatening conditions can access potential life-saving therapeutic options which have not been formally approved by the responsible health authority in an ethical and regulated way. ChongXiang Tan, Fengyun (Vicky) Han and Annetta C. Beauregard of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson…

Europe The EU biopharmaceutical ecosystem is currently languishing in third place globally. EUCOPE’s Alexander Natz discusses how the European Commission’s most fundamental review of the pharmaceutical legislation in decades is supposed to change that but in reality, is discouraging innovation and competitiveness.   The European Commission’s ambition to future-proof the EU…

Global In only 21 years, the Global Fund has made remarkable progress in the fight to eliminate HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria across the world, contributing to 44 million lives saved. Cross-sectoral partnerships that leverage the skills and capabilities of governments, multilateral agencies, bilateral partners, civil society groups, people affected by…

Japan Pfizer’s Kaneko Miyuki, writing in the September 2022 edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine, shines a light on Japan’s new emergency approval system for pharmaceuticals. Enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan hopes that this new regulation will allow for a more rapid and agile response to future…

ASEAN Takeda’s Soon Yee Chow and Helene Sou, writing in the September 2022 edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine, outline how digitalisation initiatives, if properly enacted, can help the ASEAN region achieve its vision of a free-trade market for high-quality and safe drugs across member states.   One key pillar of…

Africa Lenias Hwenda of Medicines for Africa examines the true impact of access to medicine initiatives in Africa, noting that many of the measures takes are often cosmetic and leave a swathe of “impact bottlenecks” unaddressed. Hwenda calls for a more holistic approach, moving beyond simply bringing medicines to African countries…