With 2011 sales of approximately $54.1 billion, Pfizer currently holds the crown as the world’s largest drugmaker, but next year may see the pharma giant usurped from its throne by Sanofi and Novartis, who will claim pole and second position respectively in the global pharmaceutical rankings. Pfizer, meanwhile, will drop to third place, and is likely to remain there for the foreseeable future, according to analysis firm EvaluatePharma. Read more »
It’s getting harder for the pharmaceutical industry to ignore neglected diseases. The globalization of national economies and the rise in air travel are increasing the potential for exposure to these diseases, which previously had been limited to the developing world. “Now is the time to have this discussion,” Kishor M. Wasan, chair-elect of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists’s Pharmaceuticals in Global Health Focus Group, told Pharmaceutical Technology earlier this month. Industry now seems to be getting the message. Read more »
In attending CPhI this week in Frankfurt, one theme that repeatedly emerged was the increasing importance of CROs, CDMOs, and CMOs to build more strategic, deeper, and collaborative relationships with pharmaceutical companies as a way to meet the evolving needs of the industry and as a a mutual tool in value creation. Read more »
Written by A. Nair, a PharmTech correspondent based in Mumbai
After months of deliberation, the Indian government has decided not to cap foreign direct investment (FDI) in the pharmaceutical sector and to continue with the 100% FDI regime. A decision in this regard was taken by an inter ministerial group presided over by India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which sought to allay fears about clearing investments automatically. Read more »
As the unemployment rate hovers around 9.1%, the federal government needs to find ways to create jobs. Congress is debating whether a tax break on repatriated money would prompt companies to hire more workers, as I mentioned last week. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is eyeing another potential means of stimulating job growth: investing in biological research. Read more »
Worried about our persistently high rate of unemployment (and his bid for re-election), President Obama is urging Congress to pass portions of his jobs bill. In addition to aiding the economy, creating jobs could help reduce the number of people who are forgoing medications, which would be a boon for the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps with this in mind, the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) has thrown its weight behind a bill it says would create American jobs.
Everyone wants to know what their equivalents in the market are making, whether they are a QA professional, a lab chemist, a supply-chain manager, a procurement officer, a division leader, or even a CEO. But salaries aren’t all that make job satisfaction possible. Factors such as proper staffing, level of outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, training, benefits, company culture, and more contribute to one’s willingness to stay put–or seek other employment. We’d like to know what’s going on in your field, so please take our annual employment survey. The results will be reported in the December print issue of Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmaceutical Technology Europe.
AstraZeneca’s announcement this week that it is investing $200 million in a new manufacturing site in China, the largest investment by the company in a single manufacturing facility, reflects not only the ongoing trend on pharmaceutical industry investment in emerging markets, but also speaks to the larger issue of ways to stimulate manufacturing investment in the United States. As President Barack Obama looks for support for his jobs bill from Congress and the public, a basic question is whether federal policy is on the right track to stimulate business investment in the US. Read more »
Drug shortages are an acute problem that keeps getting worse. Last year, about 211 drugs were in short supply, which was a new record. This year, the number of new drug shortages already has reached 213, according to the University of Utah Drug Information Service. As a result, many patients now have limited access to crucial drugs, such as cancer therapies and medicines for potentially lethal infections. And a Congressional committee is now investigating what appears to be an insult added to this injury. Read more »
A few weeks ago, Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) made waves by claiming that the vaccine for human papillomavirus could have dangerous side effects. She retreated from her remarks after the American Academy of Pediatrics said that they had no scientific validity. Makers of biopharmaceuticals might feel vindicated, but a recent poll emphasizes that Bachmann is not alone in her views. Read more »
From PharmTech.com