Articles

For some patients, namely those suffering from terminal illness, pain relief is an issue that talks to them about the right to end their lives in relative comfort and dignity. In such situations, new kinds of research that attack the complications and side effects of high level pain killers – such as opium based pain relievers – are particularly pertinent.
For some patients, namely those suffering from terminal illness, pain relief is an issue that talks to them about the right to end their lives in relative comfort and dignity. In such situations, new kinds of research that attack the complications and side effects of high level pain killers – such as opium based pain relievers – are particularly pertinent. This article by the Medical Center at The University of Chicago describes importan…

Adventis Health is one of a number of medical communications agencies that offers an integrated service with advertising, PR, Medical Education and digital media all available in house.
Medical communications provide professional, valuable marketing solutions to pharmaceutical companies, incorporating; writing, design, multimedia, conferences and events and more. Working with top level pharmaceutical company executives, high profile doctors and lecturers, the job of the medical communications specialist is to inform, educate and increase awareness of diseases and medicines within the healthcare community to help drive improved patient care. Adventis Health is one of a number of medical communications agencies that offers an integrated service with advertising, PR, Medical Education and…

Latest research from strategic consultancy VacZine Analytics(R) suggests that the expert community is leaning towards the idea of priming the population now against a possible influenza pandemic. The concept referred to as pre emtive or “early” immunological priming, is faced with obstacles, but possibly not as many as those linked with current pandemic vaccine strategies.
LONDON, UK12th March 2009ExpertREACT. Latest research from strategic consultancy VacZine Analytics(R) suggests that the expert community is leaning towards the idea of priming the population now against a possible influenza pandemic. The concept referred to as pre emtive or “early” immunological priming, is faced with obstacles, but possibly not as many as those linked with current pandemic vaccine strategies. Many exper…

In January, leading pharmaceutical experts attended the 2009 Forum Institute seminar on biosimilars, and the challenges involved in their successful development and launch. While the main focus of the meeting the biosimilars market in the EU, it was widely agreed that developments in the US, and President Obama's handling of the generic biotech issue, will be the defining issue of 2009 and beyond.
The Forum Institute's 2009 seminar on biosimilars aimed to highlight the challenges facing their development and launch within the European market. Since the first biosimilar approval in early 2006, when Sandoz received backing for biosimilar human growth hormone (hGH) Omnitrope, the biosimilars market has evolved at considerable speed. Now, in 2009, payers, physicians and patients in the EU have…

20 minutes preparation can make all the difference! People don’t interview everyday! Lets face it, its not always easy. The purpose of this short article is to help you prepare fully for your interview.
“Lets make sure you have all the help you need, so you can claim what’s rightfully yours!” The most important thing to remember about an interview is that it is a two-way relationship. You want the job and the interviewer wants to fill the position. Remember, you are both individuals, even though the interviewer is backed by a large organisation – he/she is not there to embarrass you, but to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, skills and qualifications and ability to do the job. You’re both individuals – Stay relaxed! 1. What do you know about us? Normally one of the first quest…

Much has been written on how to produce a good CV so in this article, I will give you an insight as to how a recruiter uses a CV during the recruitment process.
Despite the many hours’ work involved in pulling together a good CV, you may be surprised to learn that most recruiters spend only a few minutes scanning each CV before making a decision regarding your application. The main purpose of your CV is to generate sufficient interest to gain an interview. It should make the reader keen to meet you. Your CV must, therefore, be accessible and relevant. It needs to be attractive, but not too elaborate, and designed to meet potential employers’ needs. Your CV must show what you have to offer – your skills – and how you have benefited other organisations in the past – your achievements. It is…

Job satisfaction is an attitude that employees have about their work and is based on numerous factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. Job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintaining and retaining the appropriate employees within the organization; it is about fitting the right person to the right job in the right culture and keeping them satisfied.1,2
Today's business environment is characterized by weak economies, rapidly changing technology, organizational re-engineering, shortened length of tenure, and outsourcing of peripheral business activities. The pharmaceutical industry is reflective of this environment. Under these circumstances, managers should concentrate on removing sources of dissatisfaction from the workplace in order to keep employees busy…

Job satisfaction is an attitude that employees have about their work and is based on numerous factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. Job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintaining and retaining the appropriate employees within the organization; it is about fitting the right person to the right job in the right culture and keeping them satisfied.
Job satisfaction is an attitude that employees have about their work and is based on numerous factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. Job satisfaction is important from the perspective of maintaining and retaining the appropriate employees within the organization; it is about fitting the right person to the right job in the right culture and keeping them satisfied. 1,2Today's business environment…

Drug Repositioning Strategies is a report that provides in-depth analysis of leading pharma companies that are using novel technologies to reposition failed, marketed or reformulated compounds.
Drug repositioning is regarded as the pharma industry's solution to falling R&D productivity and weakening product pipelines, successful repositioned drugs such as raloxifene (Evista; Lilly), thalidomide (Thalomid; Celegene), (Exubera;Pfizer/Nektar) have enabled innovative companies to adopt lower risk strategies to optimize product pipelines. Drug Repositioning Strategies is a report that provides in-depth analysis of leading pharma companies that are using novel technologies to reposition failed, marketed or reformulated compounds. This report analyzes strategies that are currently being emplo…

Matt Greig at Advanced Regulatory provides an overview on *** Option Suisse *** and gives an introduction to working and living in Switzerland.
With various mergers and acquisitions, patent expiries and general outlook in the UK for housing being potentially dire, many pharmaceutical professionals we work with are considering their options to live and work abroad. Renting out their homes and relocating to make a name for themselves with one of the leading pharmaceuticals organisations in the world, is not just an option for some but the best option for many. Any why not? In real terms salaries in the UK have been slipping for a couple of years and many of the US and UK-based companies prefer to keep global decision-making and strategy directed from on the other side of the Atlantic but th…

A recent market analysis survey* into the employment trends and aspirations of clinical research professionals working in the Clinical Research sectors has confirmed the move and willingness of people to consider independent contract based employment.
10% of the survey respondents currently operate as independent contractors, yet 60% have considered becoming contractors in the past and more interestingly over 84% said they would consider becoming contractors in the future. The survey researched a base of Clinical Research personnel currently operating across international markets including the UK, Central and Eastern Europe and N. America The survey was undertaken on behalf of Redtree People, a new marketplace initiative looking to serve the interests of what is believed to be the growing…

Ice Bandage is the latest “must have” medicine cabinet essential for the first aid & topical analgesic categories. With its cooling properties and its metallic packaging, it will certainly stand out on shelf.
Ice Bandage is the latest “must have” medicine cabinet essential for the first aid & topical analgesic categories. With its cooling properties and its metallic packaging, it will certainly stand out on shelf. Half of all analgesic sales are generated in pharmacy, which makes Ice Bandage an ideal product to stock . Customers are increasingly looking for natural alternatives to NSAIDS and Ice Bandage, which reduces swelling and alleviates pain naturally, will really drive sales and footfall in store. Ice Bandage works by releasing an “ice cold cooling effect” to reduce swelling…

As one of the most preventable forms of death in the world today, obesity is widely regarded as one of the most serious public health concerns of the 21st century.
Even last week, former U.S. President Bill Clinton described the condition as “the biggest public health problem in America today,” whilst other world leaders have consistently warned that if we fail to tackle the problem, average life expectancies could actually begin to fall, with success rates in numerous fields reversing in the process. In response to this, important research is producing not only a greater understanding of the genetic element to obesity, but also, the first scientific steps on the road to treating what is now one of the greatest scientific challenges of the 21st century. Only this week, Sir Michael Marmot,…

With President Obama’s proposed plan to reform the US healthcare system, this will be the closest the US has gotten to universal health coverage. We provide a snapshot of the Obama healthcare plan and highlight some of the criticisms it has received from health economists.
With President Obama’s proposed plan to reform the US healthcare system, this will be the closest the US has gotten to universal health coverage. We provide a snapshot of the Obama healthcare plan and highlight some of the criticisms it has received from health economists. The Obama plan mandates affordable, accessible health coverage for every person and attempts to control healthcare spending. To achieve the former, the Obama plan eliminates the concept of “pre-existing conditions.” Every American can purchase health in…

In Part Three of our four part commentary on the outlook for 2009, we discuss how the Federal government’s investment in comparative clinical effectiveness research is going to impact the pharmaceutical industry and shape reimbursement strategies for healthcare payers.
Is your drug more effective than your competitors’ drugs? Of course, right? Would your company be willing to prove it? In order for a drug to be used by consumers, it has to have been demonstrated to be safe and effective. Meeting these two requirements seems like reason enough for a product to be on the market. However, with the cost of healthcare skyrocketing it has become more important to cut costs. This means that stakeholders in healthcare now want to see data that goes beyond safety and effectiveness to demonstrate…

Health economics is a growing sub-discipline of economics and studies the allocation of scarce resources in health care.
Health economists study the workings of the health care system and the numerous private and social influences on health. They look at the supply and demand of treatments, and the benefits they provide. Health Economists are also often involved in clinical trials to ensure that data collected includes the valuable economic and quality of life information needed. Health Economists can assist in writing evidence based Health Technology Assessments (HTA). This helps develop “value-for-money” data for marketing teams who in the UK, need to have sound arguments for NICE or the PCTs to spend the money. In recent years a more standardised approach has developed, that allows…

More than a billion people worldwide are affected by the consequences of high blood pressure and many more suffer without diagnosis, due to a lack of ubiquitous symptoms...
... Yet according to new research acquired from the Eastern Region Public Health Observatory and UK Quality Framework Prevalence statistics, the good news is that the overall levels of undiagnosed and untreated conditions in the UK are falling. For where the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure in the UK rose by 2.7 per cent between 2004/2005 and 2007/2008, statistics from UK Quality Framework Prevalence also show that during the same period, GPs discovered and diagnosed an additional nearly 1 million people with high blood pressure. The result? A 9.5 per cent fall in the number of people with undiagnose…

One of the greatest compliments I have ever heard paid in this industry is “By the time she’s finished with the SOPs, you might even want to read them.” But what a sad indication this is of the general opinion of the documents on which we depend.
One of the greatest compliments I have ever heard paid in this industry is “By the time she’s finished with the SOPs, you might even want to read them.” But what a sad indication this is of the general opinion of the documents on which we depend. Standard Operating Procedures are supposed to describe the procedures and best practice we follow in order to remain compliant with the regulations that govern the pharmaceutical industry. They guide us in our work to ensure that processes are followed consistently and there are few surprises. If somethi…

There are constant references in the regulations to the Quality Management System, or QMS, expected to be in place at every GxP-compliant site. The QMS is generally described in the Quality Manual and reflected in approved, controlled Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
There are constant references in the regulations to the Quality Management System, or QMS, expected to be in place at every GxP-compliant site. The QMS is generally described in the Quality Manual and reflected in approved, controlled Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Note the use of the word ‘reflected’ here. Should the SOPs not be used to help define the QMS? Let me explain. At the majority of pharmaceutical businesses I have visited, SOPs are generally created, and sometimes managed, on a departmental basis. O…

Start looking for a new role as soon as you know your role is at an end and the prospects internally for reassignment are limited. Even if you will get a redundancy package, it is easier to be re-employed if you have the shortest possible break.
When do I start looking? Start looking for a new role as soon as you know your role is at an end and the prospects internally for reassignment are limited. Even if you will get a redundancy package, it is easier to be re-employed if you have the shortest possible break. You can often negotiate a break prior to starting but get the job first! Market conditions are such that unless you have ‘alternate support’ gap periods are to be avoided. What do I need to do to my CV? First of all, look critically at your current CV. Are there any obvious mistake…