Pharmacy - Articles

At a moment when the national discourse on international aid is grounded in pessimism, David Cameron’s pledge to commit £814m to help vaccinate the world’s poorest children provides an necessary reminder of what international aid really can achieve.
In a climate defined by fiscal retrenchment and tight purse strings, the Coalition government’s still-kept pledge to increase the UK’s international aid budget to 0.7% of GDP by 2013 has been controversial at best. International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell has delivered some excellent performances in defence of the policy — particularly in terms of his promises to root out waste and corruption — but the general public still remains broadly split on the issue, as this recent article by the Spectator shows. By any definition, two to one…

Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia ®) delivered rapid and consistent improvements in a broad range of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after 12 weeks of treatment regardless of whether or not they had received prior TNF inhibitors or whether or not they were receiving concomitant DMARDs, concluded the latest analysis of the Phase III b REALISTIC trial presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting in London, May 25-28 (abstract FRI021).
Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia ®) delivered rapid and consistent improvements in a broad range of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after 12 weeks of treatment regardless of whether or not they had received prior TNF inhibitors or whether or not they were receiving concomitant DMARDs, concluded the latest analysis of the Phase III b REALISTIC tri…

Want to know which Pharma companies are on Twitter? - here's a list..
I've been keeping track on the pharma companies on Twitter, and the presence and activity varies significantly. Anyway here is the current list for your reference. If you notice any errors or omissions, let me know.  ABPIAccess pharmaActavisAkzonobelAllerganAlnylamAmgenAmgen FoundationAstellas USAstra Zeneca JobsAstraZenecaAstraZeneca - joinastrazenecaAstrazeneca USAstraZenecaNLAzco BiotechAZhelpsBaxterBayerBayer HealthCareBayer JovensBayer PressBayer SanteBayer ScheringBayer SDBayer UK / IrelandBayer US NewsBayer US NewsBayer VitalBayerM SMSBioIndustry AssociationBMS NewsbmsinfoBoehringerBoehringer GermanyBoehringer GreeceBoehringer SpainBoehringer USBoehringernldBristol_MyersDaiichi SankyoDiabetes_sanofiElan…

After six months of sometimes lively pursuit, the French pharmaceutical group, Sanofi-aventis, has agreed a deal to pay $20.1bn in cash for U.S. biotech firm Genzyme Corp after Sanofi made an increased offer of $74 per share.
Once completed, the deal will represent the biggest pharmaceutical takeover since 2009 and the largest acquisition by the group since its $50bn purchase of Aventis back in 2004. In view of excited predictions from Genzyme executives on potential sales of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), each share will also be linked to tradable Contingent Value Rights (CVRs) worth up to $14 a share if all performance milestones are reached. While Genzyme predicts sales for Lemtrada approaching $3.5bn, Sanofi has been somewhat more reserved in its estimates. While payments mainly depend on th…

There has been some conjecture amongst professionals regarding the merits of a personal profile on a CV. This conjecture stems from the fact that many job seekers fill there personal profiles with irrelevant and mostly clichéd information.
There has been some conjecture amongst professionals regarding the merits of a personal profile on a CV. This conjecture stems from the fact that many job seekers fill there personal profiles with irrelevant and mostly clichéd information. Here at the CV & Interview Advisors, we offer free CV Appraisals, therefore see hundreds of CVs per week. I recently reviewed 5 CVs back-to-back and was interested to find that all 5 people considered themselves to be dynamic and innovative with excellent communication skills. Having spoken to all 5 individuals, it…

We have a fundamental problem with our health service. It's bloated, it's weighed down in bureaucracy and it's terribly inefficient. That's if you believe the diagnosis of our health service by the new Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley.
We have a fundamental problem with our health service. It's bloated, it's weighed down in bureaucracy and it's terribly inefficient. That's if you believe the diagnosis of our health service by the new Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley. Indeed, not only is our health service inefficient, but it is incredibly disconnected from the people it’s meant to serve - the patients. For these reasons and others, Mr. Lansley is proposing the biggest shake-up of the health service in 60 years. 'Our guiding principle', Mr. Lansley says, will be ‘no decision about me, witho…

Economic uncertainty has fueled a growing trend toward self-employment and entrepreneurialism with one-in-five respondents worldwide now working outside the traditional employment relationship, and 50 percent saying that they would like to do so, according to the latest survey results from workforce solutions leader Kelly Services®.
The findings are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 134,000 people in 29 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The rise of the self-employed, often known as independent contractors or ‘free agents,’ is most pronounced in North America, with 26 percent identifying themselves in this category, compared with 19 percent in Asia Pacific, and 17 percent in Europe. The survey also fin…

Washington is famous for its lobbyists. Make no mistake, of all the industries currently making themselves heard on Capitol Hill, the healthcare lobby is one of the largest and the loudest. Indeed, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, the pharmaceutical industry had almost 1700 registered lobbyists in Washington as of late 2009. Unsurprisingly, then, the pharmaceutical industry has a considerable degree of pull on The Hill.
Washington is famous for its lobbyists. Make no mistake, of all the industries currently making themselves heard on Capitol Hill, the healthcare lobby is one of the largest and the loudest. Indeed, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, the pharmaceutical industry had almost 1700 registered lobbyists in Washington as of late 2009. Unsurprisingly,…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending December 11th.
Despite the near-recent emergence of the second wave of pandemic H1N1, the past four weeks have proven increasingly positive in the global fight against the virus. Here in the UK, numbers have fallen steadily. In the week leading up to December 3rd, the number of cases fell from 46,000 to an estimated 22,000. The previous three weeks also witnessed a considerable fall in the number of new cases, with the numbers amongst young adults and children taking a significant hit. After several months of increasing concern and rising national and international casualties, the news comes as a reminder of the sheer unpredictability of the virus in question - for good or for worse. For those frontline NHS staff gearing up to face the busy Chr…

‘You really need some more experience’. Perhaps the most ubiquitous phrase in modern day recruitment, thousands of graduates are now at the mercy of this one requirement as increasing competition in the job market leads to rising standards. Perhaps twenty, or even ten years ago, an undergraduate degree and a forceful sense of charisma might well have been enough to net you your first role in an industry.
‘You really need some more experience’. Perhaps the most ubiquitous phrase in modern day recruitment, thousands of graduates are now at the mercy of this one requirement as increasing competition in the job market leads to rising standards. Perhaps twenty, or even ten years ago, an undergraduate degree and a forceful sense of charisma might well have been enough to net you your first role…

Keynes called it an ‘inducement to invest’. In this instance, the most recent financial crisis has called for many of the same approaches used in the 1930s to stimulate the economy and bring industries back to their feet. Today more than ever, we realize that education is one of the most decisive facets of any successful stimulus.
A Call to Arms: Keynes called it an ‘inducement to invest’. In this instance, the most recent financial crisis has called for many of the same approaches used in the 1930s to stimulate the economy and bring industries back to their feet. Today more than ever, we realize that education is one of the most decisive facets of any successful stimulus. That’s why, alongside a whole host of other policies and schemes, the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) manag…

At what point does a conflict of interests occur? Last year – and for many years before that – U.S. drugs companies paid out tens of millions of dollars in payments and gifts to physicians and academics. Earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a revised, and somewhat toughened, code of practice.
Some Background: At what point does a conflict of interests occur? Last year – and for many years before that – U.S. drugs companies paid out tens of millions of dollars in payments and gifts to physicians and academics. Earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a revised, and somewhat toughened, code of practice. Their attempts to target the flow of payments and gifts to doctors has resulted…

We're having a fascinating day at the Financial Times Global Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology conference on London.
One of the most interesting commentaries today came from Jean-Luc Bélingard, CEO of Ipsen. Jean-Luc stated that in his view, for the pharmaceutical segment, ‘Demand is infinite’ – with no therapeutic cure for the mahority of diseases. Take diabetes for example – we can treat it, to a large extent, but we can’t cure it. This makes the pharma and interesting market, and this, with all of the other changes and challenges in the segment, does pose challenges for the survival and growth of individual pharmaceutical corporates. Paul Hartigan, CEO of PharmiWeb Solutions, asked Jean-Luc if he was confident therefore in the future for the industry. (Mr Bélingard started his career at…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending November 1st.
The past few weeks have been something of a medical paradox. Yes, the number of cases is increasing, but it is doing so somewhat more steadily than first anticipated. The full brunt of the highly anticipated ‘second wave’ is more likely to come towards the end of December and into the heat of the winter season. Conversely, while there hasn’t been a terrible spike in the number of cases, more people are being hospitalized with the virus. Hospitals too are beginning to feel the strain. Speaking on BBC 1’s the Andrew Marr Show, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir. Liam Donaldson said "What we are seeing is that while most people generally get a mild illness, a small proportion of people are getting very serious illnesses”. And while…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending October 2nd.
""It is steadily mounting, we are not seeing the sort of explosive increase, doubling week on week, that we've seen in some previous pandemics, but it is the start of the second peak, we are pretty confident of that now”. These were the words of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir. Liam Donaldson, as he predicted the emergence of a second-wave of the virus in the UK. Today, the numbers verify the assumptions: with a 50% increase in the number of new cases in England for the week ending the 25th of September, the country is now bracing itself for a second, more widespread, wave of H1N1. Last week witnessed 14,000 new cases of the virus in England – up from 9,000 in the previous week - with 286 people hospitalized and 36 in critical…

It is frightening because no one knows what's causing it, said a 28-year old law student who went to the St. Mark's Clinic in Greenwich Village last week complaining of swollen glands, thought to be one early symptom of the disease. Every week a new theory comes out about how you're going to spread it. - The New York Times , August 8th 1982.
"It is frightening because no one knows what's causing it, said a 28-year old law student who went to the St. Mark's Clinic in Greenwich Village last week complaining of swollen glands, thought to be one early symptom of the disease. Every week a new theory comes out about how you're going to spread it." - The New York Times , August 8th 1982. Unaccompanied by anything like a true understanding of the virus until years later – or even a proper name for…

With the pharmaceutical industry heading into the well documented “expiry cliff” competition is rife. Quicker more cost effective methods of manufacturing must be found for big pharma to remain competitive and a clearer means of communication such as that seen at the NG Pharma Summit is clearly vital.
The pharmaceutical industry is sharing the symptoms of the economic downturn. Counterfeit drug manufacturing and parallel trading is causing some serious side effects to the ailing industry and leaders from GSK, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Pfizer met at this year’s illustrious NGP Summit to help come up with a cure. The aims of the summit were to enable these business leaders to review their current manufacturing technologies and allow them to concentrate resources on their core compete…

In the eyes of many graduates, the economic recession has brought a new-found negativity to the job market. Thankfully, the climate is probably less dire than the situation sometimes imagined.
In the eyes of many graduates, the economic recession has brought a new-found negativity to the job market. Indeed, over the past 12 months, articles talking down the prospects of new graduates have become ubiquitous in the media. Where these kinds of stories haven’t dominated the front pages, they have been replaced by the news of failed businesses and banks, rising unemployment figures and an array of reactive monetary policy adjustments that some thought would never come. If you’d listened to the heads of central banks in the years before the crisis - notably Alan Greenspan and then Ben Bernanke at…

More than half of schizophrenia patients are expected to relapse within two years if untreated and 4 out of 5 within five years, according to experts. Antipsychotics can reduce the relapse rate so long as patients continue on treatment. However, adherence is notoriously poor. A new antippsychotic – asenapine – shows promise of being effective and better tolerated.
More than half of schizophrenia patients are expected to relapse within two years if untreated and 4 out of 5 within five years, according to experts. Antipsychotics can reduce the relapse rate so long as patients continue on treatment. However, adherence is notoriously poor. A new antippsychotic – asenapine – shows promise of being effective and better tolerated. The prospect of an antipsychotic drug that keeps schizophrenia pat…

Weekly Swine Flu Update for the Week Ending September 10th
Again last week, the number of new cases continued to fall. With around 3,000 new cases reported for last week - compared to 5,000 cases for the week before and a zenith of 130,000 at the start of August – the situation has improved by every known measure or metric, both on a national, and indeed a supranational level. The HPA, continues to warn Britons against complacency in the struggle against the virus. The total number of H1N1-related deaths has now risen to 75 and as of September the 9th, there were 132 patients hospitalized with the virus. HPA figures continue to be questioned for their reliability since the transition to the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) earlier in the month. In delivering his weekly update, the…