Tagged with Reform

Spain Humberto Arnés, director general at Farmaindustria, Spain’s leading pharmaceutical industry association, discusses the dynamics of the Spanish pharmaceutical industry showcasing a growth of 2.7 percent of the total public pharmaceutical expenditure while highlighting the association’s strategic plan, revolving around sustainability and access, transparency with healthcare professionals, an increase in industrial…

Canada Bob McLay, vice president and general manager of Sobi in Canada, discusses how innovation and collaboration with regulators and payers are helping Sobi to bring its medicines to Canadians suffering from rare diseases, while emphasizing the importance of an adequate rare disease framework to streamline this process in the future.…

Portugal Heitor Costa, Executive Director for APIFARMA, the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Industry Association, outlines the recent improvements in industry and governmental agreements, the importance of non-prescription medicines, and raising societal awareness on the strengths of OTC medicines. While touching on pertinent topics that affect the entire pharmaceutical production value chain, Costa highlights…

Spain Ángel Luis Rodríguez de la Cuerda, secretary general of AESEG, the trade association of generic producers in Spain, discusses the initiatives that the organization is undertaking to develop a true generic culture in the country and a new proposal changing the requirement for originator drugs to remain at the same…

Ecuador The recently appointed Deputy Minister of Public Health Governance and Surveillance, Dr. Carlos Durán Salinas, elaborates on some of the most recent changes implemented by the government and the tremendous efforts that the administration is making towards the construction of a harmonized and efficient healthcare system in Ecuador, notably in…

Portugal ARSLVT exists to make sure that people living in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley have access to quality health care, adapting the resources available to the region’s health needs and complying with and enforcing the National Health Plan. Luis Pisco is confident in Portugal’s development as a healthy nation, and…

Portugal Maria-Ceu Machado, president of INFARMED the National Authority of Medicines and Health Products, stresses the importance of healthcare restructuring and streamlining work practices in Portugal. In her first year as president, Maria and her team have brought in new rules on medicine approval times, confronted challenges in the reference pricing…

Latvia Anda Čakša, Latvia’s minister of health since 2016, discusses her current priorities, regulatory reform, areas of strengths and weaknesses in the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, e-health, and combating the threat of non-communicable diseases. What have been your main achievements since assuming position as health minister back in 2016? “The e-health system…

Canada Warren Bravo, co-founder and CEO of Green Relief, speaks about the company’s unique growing technique – aquaponics – which allows it to produce ‘better than organic’ medical cannabis. He gives an insight into the organization’s expansion plans, both within and beyond Canadian borders, and a potential IPO in 2018. After…

Ecuador Hector Enriquez, general manager of Laboratorios Industriales Farmaceuticos Ecuadorianos (LIFE), details the flagship Ecuadorian pharmaceutical company’s focus on developing its own market-relevant formulations and the implementation of international manufacturing standards to compete with international pharmaceutical companies in Ecuador. Could you present LIFE Laboratories’ activities and most recent developments in Ecuador?…

Estonia Kristin Raudsepp, director general of Estonia’s drug regulator – the State Agency of Medicines – discusses her organization’s mandate, current priorities, and reactiveness to the pervading trends in international regulation. Can you introduce the State Agency of Medicines of Estonia and its mandate to our international readers? “Despite of the…

Baltics Rauls Velins, Roche’s general manager for Latvia, introduces the company’s longstanding commitment to the Latvian market, Roche’s role in helping facilitate Latvia’s new National Cancer Plan, and the potential for personalized medicine across the Baltics. Could you please start by introducing Roche in Latvia and the strategic significance of the…