The first-ever BRIC Economic Summit was held this week in Yekaterinburg, Russia, further signaling the importance of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, collectively known as the BRIC countries, in the current and future direction of the global economy. Some predict that the BRIC countries will surpass the leading economies by 2050, according to a recent New York Times article. The seeds of change already have been planted in the pharmaceutical industry, where pharmaceutical market growth in emerging economies is projected in the double-digits in 2009, compared with declining to anemic growth in established markets. Big Pharma is attuned to the shifting market dynamics. Many companies have clearly stated their strategic intent to enhance their positions in emerging markets. But what are the implications for pharmaceutical manufacturing? We may have gotten a glimpse into the future with some recent moves by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Read more »

There is a phrase in India that has become not so much a commonplace as a vulgar truism, one that people reach for quickly to describe India’s financial capital’s indomitable nature: the spirit of Mumbai. The terror attacks of November, that ripped asunder the very fabric of this resolute city, has dented that spirit. Somewhat. Read more »

Just as the ICH steering committee and expert working groups are discussing next steps for the implementation of Q10 Pharmaceutical Quality System and possible adoption of the Q8 annex to Pharmaceutical Development in Brussels this week, ASEAN’s* harmonization scheme is taking another divergent turn. Read more »

Last week’s post highlighted pharma deals that haven’t been working out due to rejected bids and stalled negotiations. On a more positive note, the past several months have also seen some successful acquisitions. This past week produced updates to some of Big Pharma’s pending pacts. Read more »

The past several months have seen many successful merger and acquisition announcements come and go, but for some companies, this has hardly been a summer of love. Several of Big Pharma’s big offers have been rejected, and some of these stories are still playing out. Only time will tell what the future holds for these proposed deals and sometimes troubled partnerships. Read more »

The Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo’s pending move to buy a controlling stake in the Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories for up to $4.6 billion took a rocky turn this week. Read more »

Covance’s (Princeton, NJ) announcement this week that it will partner with Shanghai’s WuxiPharmaTech in a joint venture for preclinical services reflects a shifting paradigm in pharmaceutical outsourcing. Read more »

The Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo’s move this week to buy a controlling stake in the Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories for up to $4.6 billion is a pending marriage that reflects the rising importance of generic drugs, the growing role of emerging markets, and the need of innovator pharmaceutical companies to access lower cost R&D and manufacturing assets. Read more »