Last month, the China Pharmaceutical Industry Research and Development Association (SINO-PhIRDA) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) signed a cooperation framework that embodies the intent of multinational pharmaceutical and Chinese pharmaceutical companies to continue a regular dialogue to facilitate the two organizations working together. So what is the status of China–US pharma relations? Read more »

China said it will work to crack down on counterfeit products such as software, music, organic corn, and pharmaceuticals, according to an article from the Associated Press. The government will launch a six-month campaign focused on eradicating sales of illegally copied and fake goods, said Jiang Zengwei, a deputy commerce minister, at a news conference earlier this week. Read more »

President Barack Obama’s state visit to India this week underscores the delicate balance in US–Indian economic relations: that is both the opportunity and competition that arises when advancing economic, trade, and business relations between the two countries. This paradoxical relationship is apparent in the pharmaceutical industry, where India is an important cog in pharmaceutical companies’ strategies for growth in emerging markets, but also a competitive force for suppliers, contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), and contract research organizations (CROs) serving the pharmaceutical industry. Is this simply a natural byproduct of a global economy or is there a better resolution? Read more »

FDA issued an alert today that it has detected “excessive levels of peroxide in one lot of Crospovidone (cross linked polyvinyl N-pyrrolidone) manufactured by China-based Tianjin Boai NKY International Ltd.” Although there have not been any related adverse-event reports to date and although the level of peroxide found does not pose a major health risk, said the agency in an advisory statement yesterday, there is concern that elevated levels of peroxide can cause “subpotent finished products.” Read more »

Quality improvements at Johnson & Johnson was the focus of last week’s news about the company. This week, unfortunately, it’s back to recalls and warning letters. Read more »

With strong R&D capabilities and a highly educated workforce at the right price, India presents an attractive alternative to European manufacturers facing increased costs at home. Add the growing domestic pharmaceutical market and India looks like the perfect location for a partnership. Read more »

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) recently announced a new program designed to fight the growing problem of substandard and counterfeit drugs in developing countries. Read more »

It was her first port of call and it was steeped in symbolism.

At 7:30 am in Mumbai on July 18, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private, cosy tete-a-tete with 10 of India Inc’s most sought-after billionaires, was a power breakfast the likes of which the city’s corporate czars had not seen in a long time. The meeting was anything but cozy, with participants hungry to take in every morsel. Read more »

Reading the news sometimes gives me a disorienting sense of déjà vu. I know I wrote that last week, but it’s true again for a different reason. Today, French heavyweight sanofi aventis (Paris) announced that it was acquiring a majority stake in Shantha Biotechnics (Hyderabad, India). This new development follows a now-familiar pattern. Read more »

Reading the news sometimes gives me a disorienting sense of déjà vu. I felt it again when I read that Ranbaxy (Gurgaon, Haryana, India) had recalled a batch of its acne drug isotretinoin after the US Food and Drug Administration found that the product’s dissolution-test results were out of specification. Didn’t this happen once before? Read more »