Articles

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…

Over the past year or so, the system for issuing VISAs and work permits in the UK has changed dramatically. A knowledge of the practical implications of the new system will be vital for anyone hoping to bring their skills to the pharmaceutical industry in this country
Over the past year or so, the system for issuing VISAs and work permits in the UK has changed dramatically. A knowledge of the practical implications of the new system will be vital for anyone hoping to bring their skills to the pharmaceutical industry in this country. For years the system was governed by separate sets of rules for everyone. Be it a doctor, a banker or a student, there were different and complex sets of rules for each and every profession - with over 80 different pathways in total.After several years in the ma…

The phrase Halcyon days is a literary commonplace in the English language English language and culture, signifying ideals of prosperity, bonhomie, joy, liberation, or tranquility. I can testify to experiencing all these sentiments having worked in Clinical R&D for nearing 30 years. I'm not so certain we'll ever return to the same again though.
The phrase Halcyon days is a literary commonplace in the English language English language and culture, signifying ideals of prosperity, bonhomie, joy, liberation, or tranquility. I can testify to experiencing all these sentiments having worked in Clinical R&D for nearing 30 years. I'm not so certain we'll ever return to the same again though. We face continuing readjustment for another 12 months for sure as industry realigns portfolios and merge…

At the Financial Times Global Pharmaceutical and Biotech Conference this week, the keynote address was given by M. Chris Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi-aventis.
At the Financial Times Global Pharmaceutical and Biotech Conference this week, the keynote address was given by M. Chris Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi-aventis. In the context of global financial meltdown, three industry mega mergers, and the usual challenges facing ‘Big Pharma’ it was bound to be interesting to hear the perspective of an industry heavyweight such as Chris, who prior to Sanofi-aventis, was a member of the board of GSK, and President of its Pharmaceutical Operations in North America.And what he thinks certainly will matter to Sanofi-aventis. As he describes the role of CEO “You’ve got y…

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…

The craving for cheap drugs has never been greater. For those patients and policymakers in developing countries, the existence of parallel imports is less a concern than a blessing. Yet for pharmaceutical companies themselves, there is the concern that an increasing trade in parallel imports would severely damage research-intensive activities and ultimately slow down the development of the very same drugs that are being traded in ‘grey’ markets today.
The craving for cheap drugs has never been greater. For those patients and policymakers in developing countries, the existence of parallel imports is less a concern than a blessing. Yet for pharmaceutical companies themselves, there is the concern that an increasing trade in parallel imports would severely damage research-intensive activities…

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…

A difficult economic climate breeds desperation. This is perhaps one of the most plausible explanations for the apparent behaviour of several unethical recruiters in the marketplace.
 As one of the largest Pharmaceutical job boards in Europe, we know a thing or two about healthcare recruitment as we handle literally hundreds of vacancies a month. Typically, the ethics of the trade work wonderfully. Companies and recruiters upload their jobs to PharmiWeb.com and instantly reach a target audience that no one recruiter could achieve on their own. Our ‘CV Database’ facility grants candidates the opportunity to record their vital stats in our database; we can then send them information on the most relevant vacancies on a daily and weekly basis. Unfortunately, such a system is also open to…

Whatever happened to the days of donning your best suit and tie and going out and looking for a job? Knocking on doors and meeting prospective employers, dazzling them with your wit, intelligence and enthusiasm. Unfortunately that is not possible in today’s society.
 I am looking for a position in clinical research, and if I casually stopped by to drop off my C.V. at a CRO or pharmaceutical company, which I have tried, I will receive strange looks or simple statements like, “ I am sorry but you must apply or submit your C.V on our web page”. I am resigned to the fact that I cannot simply meet the appropriate people and convince them that I am the right person for the job; I must go do it on the Internet. This is most frustrating so I needed to find a jobsite that was user friendly. A…

In this edition of StrategicEdge, CBR Pharma Insights discusses some of the recent rulings by the Indian courts and their impact on the pharmaceutical industry's increasing interest in India.
India is one of the emerging markets which is seen to have great potential to many pharmaceutical companies. However, India's complicated legal structure concerning patents can make the market a challenging one, as highlighted by several recent rulings. Novartis is currently involved in the long process of trying to gain Indian patent approval for its cancer drug Glivec. Novartis' application for a patent for the beta crystalline form of Glivec was first denied by the Patent Controller's office in January 2006, and Novartis has continued to pursue the issue through a variety of courts. Most recently, t…

Ever since the H1N1 virus first came onto the world map in April, ‘Where’s the vaccine?’ has been the cardinal question on everybody’s lips. As world governments scrambled to control the outbreak, supranational bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) threw themselves at the task of producing weekly updates for a virus which we originally knew very little about.
Ever since the H1N1 virus first came onto the world map in April, ‘Where’s the vaccine?’ has been the cardinal question on everybody’s lips. As world governments scrambled to control the outbreak, supranational bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) threw themselves at the task of producing weekly updates for a virus which we originally knew very little about. Their efforts rendered the first wave of the virus…

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…

A meta-analysis of the CRYSTAL and OPUS studies involving 845 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) tumours displaying the wild-type KRAS gene, has revealed first-line treatment with Erbitux (cetuximab) and FOLFOX4 or FOLFIRI chemotherapy significantly extends overall survival.
A meta-analysis of the CRYSTAL and OPUS studies involving 845 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) tumours displaying the wild-type KRAS gene, has revealed first-line treatment with Erbitux (cetuximab) and FOLFOX4 or FOLFIRI chemotherapy significantly extends overall survival. Median survival was around four months greater in Erbitux and chemotherapy-treated patients than in those receiving chemotherapy alone.A new meta-analysis presented for the first time at the joint 15th European Cancer…

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…

Hardly a day goes by without a new report, today AT Kearney, last week Roland Berger and before them IMS and PWC warning of a gloomy future for pharmaceutical companies and saying that they must change their ways.
Hardly a day goes by without a new report, today AT Kearney, last week Roland Berger and before them IMS and PWC warning of a gloomy future for pharmaceutical companies and saying that they must change their ways. Pharma’ has responded by restructuring, re-focussing, divesting, merging, laying off etc., but all of these are, I would argue, tinkering with the existing model. Like re-painting the sides of a horse drawn cart when it is in the middle of a six lane motorway junction with the traffic going past at 70 mph.... and one of the highways in the junction is the conversation…

Medical animation is increasinlgy being employed by pharmaceutical companies to explain the scientific rationale behind their products.
Why animation? Most people are familiar with animation technology from the film and computer game industries, but its use extends well beyond these areas due to its ability to capture an audience’s attention and maintain it. One of the fields in which it is rapidly growing in popularity is healthcare. It has been used as part of training programs for healthcare personnel, such as to demonstrate complex invasive techniques. However, one of the fastest growing uses of this technology is in the pharmaceutical industry.Pharmaceutical companies are mainly interested in producing mechanism of action (MOA) animations to support their drugs, since they often have c…