Switzerland Thomas A. Tóth von Kiskér, longstanding CEO of Tillotts Pharma AG, a specialty pharma player focused on the digestive system, has overseen a number of acquisitions and the growth of the company from 30 to 300 employees. Here, he shares his insights on why M&A may be a better strategy…

Switzerland While once considered the land of milk and honey within Europe in terms of market access and reimbursement for innovative pharmaceuticals, Switzerland is increasingly tightening its belt on this front in line with its European neighbours. Indeed, this year two cost containment packages are under discussion in the Swiss parliament…

France The latest news from French pharma, including why President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to bring medical production back to Europe has hit a wall, Sanofi’s slow progress towards finally bringing its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to market, and why investors are still betting on Valneva.   Macron’s Push for German Pharma Alliance…

Switzerland The Novartis and Roche names are synonymous with Swiss pharmaceutical innovation. But for these two Basel-based global behemoths, what value does Switzerland itself hold and what do they see as the areas in which they can truly bring value in their home market?   Roche – Driving Digital & Personalised…

Germany The latest news from German pharma, including a new US leadership team and more COVID-related investment at Merck KGaA; the CureVac vaccine’s role in fighting COVID-19 variants; and why the country is trailing its European neighbours in digital health.   Merck KGaA’s new CEO shakes up U.S. leadership to spark…

Switzerland In the last month alone, CDMO giant Lonza has announced three major upgrades to its manufacturing footprint in Visp, Western Switzerland: a huge expansion of its biologics capacity, new production lines for the manufacture of antibody-drug conjugates, and a ramping up of its workforce dedicated to the production of ingredients…

Spain The latest from Spanish pharma, including the acquisition of PTS by a private equity group for its nanoparticle drug delivery technologies; the agreement between Esteve and Kowa to license an acute pain product currently in Phase III; and the growth of the Spanish pharma market in February after falling 4…

UK Stuart Evans, partner at law firm BLM and specialist in commercial disputes and litigation examines the origins and fallout of the EU/AstraZeneca vaccine dispute and why the twin forces of COVID-19 and Brexit seem set to muddy the waters of cross-border pharma trade for some time to come.   Five…

Switzerland Animal testing for medicinal purposes is back under the spotlight in Switzerland after a petition against the practice filed in Bern managed to generate tens of thousands of signatures. Even more ominously, a popular initiative emanating from the Canton of St Gallen is still pending that proposes an outright ban…

Switzerland In February 2020, US giant MSD announced the launch of a new site in Zurich specialising in R&D, data management, and commercialisation, foregrounding the company’s commitment to Switzerland. MSD employs over 1000 people in Switzerland across five sites in local, regional, and global functions, engages in 25 in-country clinical trials…

UK The latest UK pharma news, including how new investment in GSK stands to reshape the country’s iconic pharma giant; CDMO Sterling’s latest acquisition; and calls for a national registry to capture company payments to clinicians and patient support groups.   The 30 fastest-growing unquoted pharma companies in the UK (Consultancy.uk)…

Switzerland In a recent conversation with PharmaBoardroom, Michael Sidler of Redalpine Venture Partners, a venture capital (VC) firm aiming to support founders and start-ups in Europe, highlighted how the European VC & the Switzerland Biotech Investment space has evolved over the past decade and the funding challenges that remain. He also…