Author Archive

Do You Have A Head of Social Media?

Julian Upton Pharm Exec EuropeIf anyone had any lingering doubts about an unprecedented era of inclusion and transparency promised by pharma’s newfound, if tentative, embrace of online social media, then last month’s Digital Pharma Europe conference must have gone some way to soothing them. Here, Novartis companionably took the stage with Boehringer-Ingelheim, Roche sat happily alongside AstraZeneca, and they all — along with representatives from other rival companies — were warmly welcomed into the Bayer-Schering headquarters in Berlin to swap stories, explain strategies and generally offer each other support and advice with regard to the latest phenomenon in pharma communications. Indeed, if I was less cynical a person, such a display of harmony and co-operation might have brought a tear to my eye. Read more »

Regulatory Affairs: Challenges for 2010

Julian Upton Pharm Exec EuropeThe Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) is a non-profit, non-political organization that seeks to advance the status of the regulatory profession through education and the provision of information to its members. Its members are drawn from industry, regulatory agencies and consultancies from over 40 countries. Pharm. Exec. Europe (PEE) spoke to TOPRA’s president-elect, Dr Zubair Hussain, head of regulatory affairs for Pfizer UK and Ireland, about what he sees as pharma’s key regulatory challenges for 2010 and beyond. Read more »