Attention has frequently been drawn to the complexities of getting anything done in Europe. A brilliant researcher can explore visionary horizons, an ambitious entrepreneur can offer a package of goods or services of inestimable value, but the degree of control and regulation becomes more intense every year — sometimes every month or week. Read more »

There has been a surge in the number of combination product (i.e. where a drug product is combined with a medical device) launches in recent years and this trend is set to continue as more companies seek to extend the life of existing branded medicines. According to analysts, the combination product market is currently worth 8 billion Euros and will grow by a staggering 40% during the next 3 years. Read more »

Parallel trade in the EU: there are arguments for it and arguments against it, but the latest reports from the UK suggest that the trade is having a significantly negative impact on patients and the supply of medicines. Read more »

These days, research scientists, much like Rodney Dangerfield, can’t get any respect. The latest evidence of this arrived on Friday, when AstraZeneca (London) proposed to cut 3500 research and development (R&D) jobs by 2014. Read more »

The European Commission has said it will be taking a close look at patent settlements where an originator has paid off a generic competitor in return for delayed market entry of a generic drug. Only yesterday, the EC released a statement saying that it has asked certain pharmaceutical companies to submit copies of their patent settlement agreements completed between originator and generic companies between July 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009. Read more »

Pharma companies have been accused by a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly of creating a false pandemic with regards to the H1N1 virus or “swine flu”. Read more »

The international pharmaceutical supply-chain consortium Rx-360 held a launch meeting in Europe last week with more than 135 industry and regulatory representatives in attendance. Read more »

Technology is not the answer, at least not for tackling pharmaceutical counterfeiting. Instead, increasing criminal sanctions and encouraging relevant parties to work with “certified and reliable partners” are the real solutions. 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 »

In a news release issued by the European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) this week, the society commended the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in its efforts to make the information that it has available on medicines more patient-friendly. Read more »