At this week’s Partnering for Global  Health Forum, sponsored by BIO and BioVentures for Global Health, in Washington, DC, a unique panel of government leaders from emerging markets discussed what it takes to do business in their countries. Among the panelists were: Argentina’s Lino Barañao, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovative Production; India’s T. Madham Mohan, the Ministry of Science and Technology Biotechnology Department Advisor; South Africa’s Bongi Gumede, Senior General Manager, Technology Innovation and Marketing, Technology Innovation Agency; and Brazil’s Julio Ramundo, Managing Director, Venture Capital, Environmental and Capital Markets Division, Brazilian Development Bank. Also on the panel to provide analysis and perspective was industry expert Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company. Read more »

NIH Director Francis S. Collins gave the keynote speech at today’s Partnering for Global Health forum in Washington, DC, sponsored by BIO and BioVentures for Global Health. He spoke about why global health is a priority for the organization, and for the United States. For starters, Collins pointed out that recent scientific advances such as RNAi, small molecule screening, and genomics of pathogens, are allowing researchers and drug developers to fight infectious diseases. As a result, the pharma and healthcare sectors are able to look beyond the Big 3 diseases (HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria) and pay more attention to neglected diseases such as dengue, as well as chronic noncommunicable diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, cancers), which are growing in both developed and developing nations. Another reason that global health advocates are setting higher goals–and achieving more—than they have in the past has a lot to do the enthusiasm and global perspective of the younger generation, noted Collins. “We can tap into that energy,” he said. Read more »

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah spoke to the participants of the Partnering for Global Health Forum in Washington, DC, this afternoon, an annual event sponsored by BIO and BioVentures for Global Health. He praised the efforts of industry, especially the biotech sector, to work toward improving global health, including R&D for new therapeutics as well as product affordability and access efforts. He noted how the global health sector is committed to making a difference now more than ever, even in a time of harsh financial realities (the recent $4.3 billion GAVI commitment by nations around the world is just one sign of multisector determination to improve global health). And he echoed the importance of two key phrases flowing through the conference thus far–financial sustainability and partnerships.  Read more »

In a decision handed down late last week, the US Supreme Court gave manufacturers of generic drugs significant legal protection from liability. In Pliva v. Mensing, the Court ruled that patients cannot sue these companies under state law for failing to warn them about the risks associated with their drugs. Although generic-drug firms may welcome the decision, I think it has unpalatable implications. Read more »

In Washington, DC, today, participants at the BIO and BioVentures for Global Health Forum are discussing the so-called valley of death, the place where new therapeutics and vaccines come to a screeching stop because there are often no mechanisms for the product’s financing or delivery. People here are optimistic though–they say that bridges are being built over this valley, and that new biopharmaceuticals do have promise, especially in developing countries. Neglected diseases that affect populations in developing nations in large numbers represent a huge target audience for biopharmaceuticals, including vaccines, new and old. At this morning’s opening session, Regina Rabinovich of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation discussed some of the developments that have, for the most part, turned around the outlook biopharmaceuticals aimed at global health in the past 5 to 10 years alone.

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Partnerships between US and Asian companies have become a prominent feature of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.  To foster relationships between US and Indian biopharmaceutical companies, the US–India BioPharma and Healthcare Summit was held in Cambridge, MA on June 23, 2011. The summit is an annual event, bringing together representatives from large US/European pharmaceutical companies, smaller US companies, academia, and patient interest groups with representatives of the Indian government and industry to discuss issues surrounding US–Indian partnering in biopharmaceutical development. Read more »

Ok, so there wasn’t really a war on at the 4th PDA Europe Workshop on Monoclonal Antibodies, though there was plenty of mildly heated discussion. I simply could not resist the Lucas reference.

Conducted in Basel (Switzerland) in mid-June, the workshop was fully attended, but relatively small, such that it could “foster a feeling of closeness and networking”, according to Richard Levy, senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs at the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA). And indeed it did; the numerous coffee breaks were a great opportunity for industry peers and regulators to mix and continue discussions initiated in presentations. Perhaps any bigger, and the sense of relaxed community would be lost… Read more »

Next week is the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Convention in Washington, DC. Many of our editorial team members will be there and we hope to see you. With a regulatory pathway for biosimilars underway in the United States, renewed conversations about regenerative medicine, and a booming biotech sector, the convention should be quite dynamic. Part of the program this year includes the Partnering for Global Health Forum, which takes place Monday, June 27, and is cosponsored by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH). Read more »

Pharmaceutical companies’ interest in furthering their positions in emerging markets is no secret, and this past week, two companies, Novartis and AstraZeneca, offered updates of current projects in one country, Russia. Read more »

Biologics are still the hot commodity in the drug industry. Observers call large-molecule drugs the therapies of the future, and these medicines’ complexity makes them difficult for would-be follow-on manufacturers to create. Big Pharma companies that have not yet acquired biopharmaceuticals firms are considering doing so to bolster their pipelines and profits. But not all biologics companies are living large, as data from Ernst & Young remind us. Read more »