Global Takeda’s Mwana Lugogo and Pfizer’s Rady Johnson, the current and former chairs of the IFPMA Ethics & Business Integrity Committee and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officers Roundtable respectively, highlight the IFPMA’s new ‘Ethoscope’ initiative, which aims to promote ethics and business integrity throughout the industry to sustain and develop trust.…

Europe Alexander Natz of the European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs (EUCOPE) casts his eye over the potential effects of the upcoming EU Pharmaceutical Legislation for small- and medium-sized enterprises in Europe. Natz feels that Europe is at a crossroads in terms of its positioning as a driver of innovation and calls…

Belgium With over 140 operating biotech companies representing almost a quarter of Europe’s biotech market and a strong network of universities and research institutes, Belgium boasts a solid biotech ecosystem that continues to thrive despite recent downturns in biotech financing. Beyond more well-known players like Argenx, acquired by Sanofi, and Galapagos,…

Opinion Airfinity’s Dr Patricia Gallego highlights the persistent threat that COVID-19 continues to present to patients and healthcare systems around the world and outlines the urgent need for more vaccine breakthroughs in 2023 to combat the “tripledemic” burden of COVID-19, flu and RSV.   2023 will be a pivotal year for…

Ukraine Igor Bondarenko of Ukraine’s Dnipro State Medical University, Evgeny Levenko from clinical trials company, ARENSIA, and Olena Popova from IQVIA offer their perspectives on maintaining quality and ensuring participant protection in clinical trials in Ukraine during wartime.   The ongoing war places unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system and clinical…

Belgium Belgium’s drug reimbursement system has become increasingly lengthy and complex, compromising patient access to innovative medicines. The roadmap recently presented by the Minister of Health and the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI) proposes a series of measures to speed up access, limit the duration of reimbursement…

Spain A roundup of the latest news from Spanish pharma, including Almirall’s earnings forecast for 2023; stock price rise and layoffs at Grifols; PharmaMar’s first European approval for its lurbinectedin treatment of metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer and Esteve’s launch of the first inhaled rescue treatment for Parkinson’s patients.   Spain’s…

Germany While Bayer’s recent history has been dominated by the controversial Monsanto acquisition, the German firm will be hoping for a more straightforward next few years with a new leadership team in place. Former Roche Pharma head Bill Anderson is yet to lay out his strategic priorities as CEO of Bayer…

Ukraine The March edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine features a special section on clinical research in Ukraine, over one year on from the beginning of the Russian invasion. Here, Chieko Kurihara of Kanagawa Dental University, Japan; Victoriia Dobrova of Ukraine’s National University of Pharmacy; Francis P. Crawley of the Good…

Ukraine The March edition of DIA’s Global Forum magazine features a special section on clinical research in Ukraine, over one year on from the beginning of the Russian invasion. Anina Adelfio of the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) looks back on an extremely challenging two years for the clinical trial…

Greece The grants and loans allocated by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a large part of which have been assigned to healthcare, set out to mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for many biopharma industry leaders they also present an opportunity to tackle…

Germany Germany-based pharma and healthcare services group Fresenius has had its share of challenges. After the group’s dialysis division, Fresenius Medical Care (FMC), was hit with a high rate of COVID-19 deaths among patients using its products and other areas of the business were faced with economic headwinds, the group was…