Global

The plan to accelerate generic pricing and reimbursement has become another tragic European casualty.

The possibility of a future "Brexit" - a British exit from the EU - has been exercising the world of medicines, writes Peter O'Donnell.

Brazil is the first Latin American country to emerge as a global biopharmaceutical collaborator. Hellen Berger reports.

Connecting the Dots The inclusion of healthcare as a priority on the presidential agenda has led to knock-on consequences that are being felt across the healthcare value chain in the Philippines. Universal healthcare coverage (UHC) has been cemented, which has led to a shift from branded medicines to generics, leading many players to a strategic repositioning. The most successful players have been those who focused on a strategy that was inclusive of all stakeholders and aligned with the presidential agenda of affordable and accessible healthcare.

UDG Healthcare Integrates Sales, Marketing and Medical Services Offerings

Reflector looks at the growing pains of the European Medicine Agency (EMA) as it faces the key policy challenges of 2014.

Reflector looks at the growing pains of the European Medicine Agency (EMA) as it faces key policy challenges of 2014.

Millennium Takeda's new president, Anna Protopapas, explains the life choices that brought her from Cyprus to Cambridge-and a lead position in the hotly contested search to make cancer a treatable disease.

Can innovation trump ideology? Russia faces a stark choice in betting on the visible hand of government in promoting a "world class" biopharmaceutical sector, writes William Looney.

Israel's diverse population, high-quality healthcare system, and resilience to global financial stress make it a strong partner for R&D, clinical research, and market growth.

"Science powers commerce," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper remarked in 2010. In those three words, the Prime Minister summarizes a massive effort by various stakeholders to create a "brain gain" in Canada to strengthen its positioning in the world of research and technology. Despite declining investments by big pharma in recent years, the country has created a number of innovative ways to incentivize R&D and leverage its geographic reach in the North American Market.

Despite the long-held promise of the emerging markets, dominance in these territories has eluded Big Pharma. Hussain Mooraj addresses the key issues and offers a strategy for success.

New regulation offers drug options for patients with rare, severe, or debilitating illnesses.

The GSK bribery investigations in China has given recruiters pause for thought. Gregory Lovas offers some do's and don'ts for keeping your emerging market recruitment drive on track.

The past three years have been some of the most eventful in memory for Taiwan's life sciences industry. At this year's Bio Taiwan exhibition, the annual conference that invites the international life sciences community to the island, the excitement was palpable. Foreign companies turned out in record numbers to a keynote address from President Ma Ying-Jeou, who acknowledged that Taiwan was a latecomer to the sector, but nonetheless had the capability and will to compete. Buoyed by a successful wave of financing, good product strategy, and increasing international penetration, the industry seems confident.

Rumor has it the BRIC palace is crumbling. Perhaps that's overdramatic, but at the very least the BRIC oven is cooling off. Where to now? The United States and Europe remain in a state of languid stagnation, while Asia and Africa are largely addressing basic healthcare needs with low-cost generic medicine.

European efforts to crack down on safety and pricing issues in the marketing of medical devices may portend long-term problems for Big Pharma.

Europe follows the United States with a harsh new spotlight on agreements that slow generic entry for medicines losing exclusivity.

The pharma majors are targeting biologics and emerging markets in their manufacturing expansion activities and plans. Patricia Van Arnum reports.

Ask Indonesians about a bad experience in medical care and each will have a story to tell. The poor state of Indonesia's healthcare system has turned "improving quality" into the top priority of the government of Indonesia. Better quality of care has become especially important as the fourth most populated country in the world moves forward with its plans to achieve universal healthcare coverage.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

By the start of 2014, industry expects to have a clearer idea of how far the US-EU free trade pact is going.

NHS England (NHSE) has just released the first data covering the first quarter of financial year 2013/14 on the Cancer Drug Fund. Leela Barham assesses the results.

With a revision of China's basic drug approval law now underway, a multinational team of experts is proposing major changes to make the country a world class player in innovation.

The ?70 billion budget is still subject to final agreement on the European Union's overall spending plans for 2014-2020.

On the Northern fringes of Europe, those who want to believe that there is a sustainable future for the old continent's generous healthcare systems find a beacon of hope.

As growth in the BRICs and other emerging economies begins to stabilize, companies are finally turning their attention to Africa-a hidden trove of potential that is only as good as you make it.

The enthusiasm for India and China may be diminishing, writes Eric Langer.

Under the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia is focusing on bolstering the commercial sector. Thanks to the ratification of free trade agreements with 14 countries around the world since 2011, including the United States, foreign direct investment reached a record high of COP 29 trillion (USD 16 billion) in 2012. While this is good news for the pharmaceutical industry, there is still a strong debate about how healthcare in Colombia can be improved.

Ireland has been a pharma industry darling since the 1960s, when a then-newly established IDA targeted the sector as a strategic area for development. Today, the numbers are eyecatching. As reported by the IDA, nine out of the top 10 pharma companies in the world have substantial manufacturing operations in Ireland.