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USA In a shock move, Joe Biden’s administration looks set to support a waiver on intellectual property (IP) protections for COVID-19 vaccines.   The decision – which comes amid worrying situations in India and other counties and increasing concern that vaccine-resistant strains of COVID could undermine a global recovery – has…

APAC COVID-19 has pushed diagnostics to the forefront of healthcare conversations across the world. Here, three leading lights from the Asia-Pacific medtech industry weigh in on what the new diagnostics paradigm might look like as the pandemic recedes.   Sanjay Prabhakaran, president Asia Pacific, Hologic “One positive outcome of this pandemic…

Turkey As the international community continues its quest to vaccinate the global population against COVID-19, shortages of already approved vaccines have put many countries on the waiting list. Approved vaccines from the United States, Europe, China and Russia have taken the lead but new candidates from the rest of the world…

Global On World Intellectual Property (IP) Day 2021, the innovative biopharmaceutical industry came together to launch a new initiative foregrounding the benefits to patients and to society at large of a robust IP framework. Under the INTERPAT umbrella, 25 industry members and associations launched the ‘IP Principles for Advancing Cures and…

Switzerland The SXI Bio & MedTech Index outperformed the Swiss Performance Index (SPI) by 38 percent and NASDAQ Biotech by 46 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Key listings include Kuros Biosciences, Idorsia, Polyphor, ObsEva, and IGEA Pharma Made with Visme Infographic Maker   To read more about the Swiss biotech investment…

Singapore Lucas Chan, Scientific Founder and CSO of CellVec, a Singapore-based CDMO that specializes in the development and manufacture of viral vectors for clinical gene therapy, discusses how his company is helping companies with mature preclinical gene therapy projects wanting to progress into the clinic. Moreover, he discusses why Singapore is…

Turkey Ümit Dereli is secretary general of the Turkish Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (AIFD), which has 35 multinational member companies that together account for almost 50 percent of the Turkish market. In this interview, he discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the research-based, innovative, pharmaceutical industry in Turkey, AIFD initiatives…

China Genetron Health is a publicly-traded China-based precision oncology company, covering the “full-cycle” of cancer care, from early screening, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations to continuous monitoring care. CEO and Co-Founder Sizhen Wang explains how the company obtained US FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, analyzes the Chinese biotech sector, and highlights their objective…

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…

Korea The latest news from Korean pharma, including how Korea can put the infrastructure in place to develop a homegrown blockbuster drug; Prestige Biopharma’s move to open a vaccine facility; and Samsung Bioepis’ first steps into the Australian market.   ‘Now is best time to develop Korean blockbuster drug’ (Korea Biomedical…

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…

Europe Janssen’s Cyril Titeux highlights the commonalities and challenges within his 31-country portfolio, his hopes and expectations for the evolution of market access in the region, and some of the key industry trends emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.   I foresee a renewed and increased focus on prevention [post-COVID], especially for…