Recruitment - Articles

In 2007 Lhasa will provide sponsorship to the Africa Education Initiative (NEF) for travel fellowships allowing African students to attend the 2007 Africa Education Initiative International Scientific Conference.
In 2007 Lhasa will provide sponsorship to the Africa Education Initiative (NEF) for travel fellowships allowing African students to attend the 2007 Africa Education Initiative International Scientific Conference. Four students from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Cameroon will receive the bursaries from Lhasa Limited to fund their journey to the Main Campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria. The conference runs from June 11 to June 14 with the theme; Integrating new technologies in drug development. Dr. Chudy Nduaka, President and Board Chairman of the Africa Education Initi…

Patients suffering from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) who miss out on potentially curative surgery may respond to medical treatment with the dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan (Tracleer) according to results of BENEFiT, a multicentre phase III trial presented at this year’s American Thoracic Society meeting. To date there has been no approved medical therapy for the condition.
BENEFiT study shows Tracleer (bosentan) improves haemodynamics in CTEPH patients refused surgery Patients suffering from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) who miss out on potentially curative surgery may respond to medical treatment with the dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan (Tracleer) according to results of BENEFiT, a multicentre phase III trial prese…

In today’s clinical arena it is the norm for clinical and medical departments to work with a mixture of direct staff (headcount), contract employees and independent consultants, as well as outsourcing whole projects. Companies utilise this mix for myriad reasons, including increased pressure to reduce headcount carrying costs demands for flexibility and to meet the clinical trial program milestones within a reduced time to market.
So you want to contract staff… what do you need to consider? In today’s clinical arena it is the norm for clinical and medical departments to work with a mixture of direct staff (headcount), contract employees and independent consultants, as well as outsourcing whole projects. Companies utilise this mix for myriad reasons, including increased pressure to reduce…

With in excess of 34,000 doctors chasing 18,500 training posts due to start in August, one might expect that a slick system would be employed to ensure that the best candidates were matched with the most appropriate jobs. And maybe that’s what the MTAS (the Medical Training Application Service - an online application system designed to allow juniors to apply centrally for training rotations) was meant to achieve. However, it had been prone to crashing, and many junior doctors claimed that it was
What’s Up (Junior) Doc? London, May 22 2007 With in excess of 34,000 doctors chasing 18,500 training posts due to start in August, one might expect that a slick system would be employed to ensure that the best candidates were matched with the most appropriate jobs. And maybe that’s what the MTAS…

Despite all denials, newspapers all over the world are simply dying. The gravity of the problem is not that the competing media like TV or Internet are at play it’s rather that the public all over the world prefers moving pictures in the palms of their hands over deciphering or reading between the lines of nicely arranged words spread out on a paper blanket.
The Newspaper Cemetery Despite all denials, newspapers all over the world are simply dying. The gravity of the problem is not that the competing media like TV or Internet are at play it’s rather that the public all over the world prefers moving pictures in the palms of their hands over deciphering or reading between the lines of nicely arranged words spread out on a paper blanket. The Children of the Millennium Historians will reg…

Its hard gaining entry into the pharmaceutical industry, but is it harder if you are thirty? I’m a graduate, so I can get in like a graduate, can’t I?
The possibility of age discrimination within the pharmaceutical industry (clinical trials at least), first occurred through application and interview feedback, such as ‘What year did you graduate?’ and ‘You’ve been out of the industry for too long’. The fact I had been in it at all should have been an advantage over a graduate who hadn’t, particularly as I am applying for graduate entry jobs. There I was thinking removing dates from my CV would be enough to avoid age discrimination, but it just meant any feedback showing age concerns is more polite. What is it that makes age a factor in recruitment, particularly at entry level and what is a…

The results of an in-depth survey of over 750 patients across Europe launched today points to a crisis in the management of the rising numbers of people living in the ‘twilight zone’ of type 2 diabetes care.
IDF Europe, Brussels, April 17th 2007, 12.01AM: The results of an in-depth survey of over 750 patients across Europe launched today points to a crisis in the management of the rising numbers of people living in the ‘twilight zone’ of type 2 diabetes care. They are inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetics but under a false sense of security about the severity of their disease.1 The survey revealed that over three-quarters of patients across Europe wrongly believe their poorly controlled condition is well managed and almost half believe that they have ‘mild’ diabetes.1 The Choose C…

After a year or so of relatively disappointing results from Big Pharma, there seems to be a new wave of optimism sweeping across the industry.
In the past few days we have seen Merck and Schering-Plough announce results ahead of expectations, and now Wyeth joins the club too, with Q1 revenues up by 11%, earnings per share up 12%, and its Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare and Animal Health segments all hitting double-digit net revenue growth. Commenting on the results, Robert Essner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said “Wyeth’s financial performance in the 2007 first quarter was again outstanding. On top of that, the Company added momentum to our new product pipeline by successfully completing a number of important clinical trials for Pristiq for vasomotor symptoms and depressio…

Infusion-related reactions occur with a wide variety of therapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer but have become a particular concern of the targeted monoclonal antibody therapies. A post-hoc analysis performed on data from a recent large study suggests a way of minimising risk.
Infusion-related reactions occur with a wide variety of therapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer but have become a particular concern of the targeted monoclonal antibody therapies. A post-hoc analysis performed on data from a recent large study suggests a way of minimising risk. A simple means to help avoid the complication of infusion-related reactions (IRR) affecting patients receiving monoclonal antibody treatments, has been identified in MABEL, a major European open-label study of metastat…

The Appendage of the letter "i" to a word as an aim to create an icon is silly…
The Appendage of the letter "i" to a word as an aim to create an icon is silly… momentary, short-term fame and glory may be possible, but to create a long lasting, global, iconic mark is very doubtful. What makes an icon is also the exclusive longevity of its unique name, and for that reason, you have examples of Rolex and not iWatch, Panasonic and not iTV Terms like, interactive- portable- device were behind creating the name iPod, and has now become responsible for the race for the letter "i" to be ingrained in just about every product category, from: iCell, iCar, iBank to iBrick and just about every word including iCopy. Feeble minds somehow gravitate towards the copying process and feel secure by joining…

Thrombocytopenia, the bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of platelets, has no easy-to-administer or satisfactory treatment at present. However, eltrombopag (Promacta) a new oral drug in development by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has progressed to phase III
Thrombocytopenia, the bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of platelets, has no easy-to-administer or satisfactory treatment at present. However, eltrombopag (Promacta) a new oral drug in development by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has progressed to phase III following encouraging early results regarding efficacy and tolerability. Latest results of a phase II study were presented at the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, Florida. Patients with too few circulating platelets (thrombocytes) experience problems wi…

With drug pipelines yielding fewer blockbusters and profits from branded drugs being increasingly eroded by generic incursion, pharmaceutical companies are looking to maximize the return on investment of their drugs that do make it to market. Consequently, reformulation has become a common defense by drug makers to prolong the lifecycle of their top sellers.
Pharma turns to reformulation to maximize ROI Reformulation is a popular method of lifecycle management. In fact, from 2002-2005, 39% of the total product launches from the 50 top manufacturers were reformulations. However, before embarking on a reformulation strategy companies must weigh-up whether it is appropriate to commit the required R&D, sales and marketing resources to the project, as opposed to dedicating them to the deve…

AstraZeneca's third biggest-selling drug, Toprol XL, has come up against generic competition sooner than anticipated after losing its protection against copycat launches. AstraZeneca has responded by reaching an agreement with US generic firm Par Pharmaceutical to distribute and supply a 25mg generic version of Toprol XL, a strategy that could be used with its other drugs facing patent expiry.
Toprol XL was originally launched by AstraZeneca in 2001 for the once-daily treatment of hypertension, with the patent protecting the drug expected to expire in September 2007. However, in January 2006, a US district court ruled the patents covering Toprol XL extended-release tablets to be invalid and unenforceable. Following the verdict, Novartis-owned Eon Labs launched a 25mg generic version of the…

Recognizing excellence in the application of an e-business approach in pharma and biotech HR in Europe.
PharmiWeb Solutions is pleased to announce that is now accepting entries for its inaugural PharmiWeb.com e:HR award. This will be an annual award, to be  given in recognition of the best e-business initiative relating to human resources in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector.  This could include innovative use of web-based  recruitment and selection, intranet-based solutions for training and development, or some other novel e-business application in the Human Resources environment. The winning entry will embody technology leadership, and return on investment, and will demonstrate how effective e-business deployment can help bring about positive organisational change. The…

It’s another Monday practice meeting, the usual drug representative has been roped in to provide lunch and is cooling her heels waiting for the team to finish morning surgery. The usual non-descript pile of sandwiches from the local bakery is stacked on the table and the registrar who has finished early has already picked the best sandwiches...
The registrar has struck up a good conversation with her and she thinks that she is onto a winner with this bright eyed and enthusiastic young doctor (little does she know that he is looking for material for the next Vocational Training Scheme session to pick over and analyse to look at the techniques used by drug reps to sell drugs). Time is ticking by and the partner from the other site who often runs half an hour late has not made it – the reps 30…

From October 1st 2006 the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 - is coming in to force, making it illegal in the UK to recruit or select candidates based on their age and to discriminate based on age whilst in employment rather than based on skills and competencies. This will apply to discrimination againt young and old, and it WILL dramatically affect recruitment and employment in the UK.
Here is a quick round up of the main points from the Regulations  According to the Employers Forum on Age: "More generally, employers must audit carefully their recruitment advertising and procedures. For example, minimum requirements for experience or qualifications are likely to constitute indirect discrimination against younger persons - employers in most cases should therefore avoid langu…

A new DPP-4 inhibitor class of oral anti-diabetic medicines, working by the novel mechanism of incretin enhancement, is poised to revolutionise the management of Type 2 diabetes. Data presented at a recent European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting suggest they will help fill the unmet need for effective anti-diabetic drugs without unacceptable side effects. Numerous agents are in development with two, Galvus (vildagliptin, Novartis) and Januvia (sitagliptin, Merck) awaiting approval
Type 2 diabetes already affects 230 million people and is rising at epidemic levels with a worldwide prevalence of 350 million forecast for 2025. The global population is getting progressively older and more obese, even in developing countries, and that increases cases of Type 2 disease with their a…

Rapra Technology’s First International Conference on Silicone Elastomers took place in Frankfurt on 19-20 September attracting over 120 delegates from as far away as Australia, Brazil, Russia and the US. Presentations covered silicone elastomer materials, liquid silicone rubber, the processing of silicone elastomers, additives and finishing for silicone elastomers. Delegates praised the breadth of the programme content and the practical nature of many of the papers.
International Conference on Silicone Elastomes Highlights Future Growth Rapra Technology’s First International Conference on Silicone Elastomers took place in Frankfurt on 19-20 September attracting over 120 delegates from as far away as , , and the . Presentations covered silicone elastomer materials, liquid silicone rubber,…

The Hellenic Competition Committee has issued GSK with a favorable decision, indicating that it can restrict the supply of pharmaceuticals to wholesalers to prevent parallel importation of these drugs, without breaking competition laws. This is an important step for legally restricting parallel importation from one of Europe's biggest parallel trade markets, as Datamonitor's Dr Mark Belsey discovers…
In November 2000, Glaxo Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), imposed restrictions on wholesalers' supply of three of its drugs, Imigran (sumatriptan), Lamictal (lamotrigine) and Serevent (salmeterol) in the Greek market. Parallel importation of these drugs was known to take place, whereby these drugs were purchased at a low price in the Greek market and then exported out of the country and into Eu…

Running clinical trials and recruiting experienced clinical personnel in the UK has certainly challenged many senior managers and recruiters over the past year. At a recent UK conference, both the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and a UK pharmaceutical website were quoted as stating that there continues to be a skills shortage across all disciplines; a lack of long-term educational investment and less development of the existing talent pool were cited as the main reaso
Running clinical trials and recruiting experienced clinical personnel in the UK has certainly challenged many senior managers and recruiters over the past year. At a recent UK conference, both the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and a UK pharmaceutical website were quoted a…