Articles

Visualising the Future
Modern manufacturing is an ecosystem of interconnected software and hardware that helps refineries, chemical and petrochemical companies optimise plants and achieve operational excellence. As businesses generate vast amounts of data, efficient decision support solutions are needed to make sense of vital information and ensure operations can adapt quickly to dynamic conditions.Today the terms, Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) are widely discussed across the engineering and manufacturing space, including ‘cloud’, ‘big data’. They all have a place to radically automate manufacturing, but they need to be clearly understood and positioned in context with the manufacturer’s operational and commercial objectives.This article aims to de-mystify buzz-terms that c…

This November 9th 2016, the entire world awoke to the “Supremacy of Presidential Entrepreneurialism.” After a couple of hundred years and the first time in US history, the White House now will be occupied by a non-politician and a world-class entrepreneur, President Elect Donald Trump.
This earth shattering event is a powerful wake up call to all the political leaders of the world; many of whom are already afraid of losing their own next election.  There is a fear of draining of swamps; structured bureaucracies and layered incompetencies are now desperately trying to come up with brand new prosperity plans. Trumpization of America, the strategic blue print of Trump’s election victory game plan is now available as a working guide and a mandatory curriculum for the decimated senior poli…

All too frequently, pharmaceutical companies lack objectivity when reviewing brands. This leaves opportunities 'on the table' and weaknesses unaddressed. An external, objective, quantitative assessment of brands enables companies to focus their efforts on the areas that will yield the greatest growth.
Pharmaceutical companies spend considerable sums on marketing to drive growth of their brands. Few, however, take time to thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses of their approach. As channels to market become more complex, and pricing and access challenges impede product uptake, excellent marketing is more important than ever for commercial success. Companies must therefore critically challenge their marketing plans and apply a level of rigour to brand reviews that is similar to t…

Effective understanding of competitors is central to competitive advantage. Competitive intelligence collection, rigorous analysis, superior interpretation, actionable recommendation, effective implementation and continuous optimisation help create winning strategies.
Introduction Being cognizant of what is happening outside one’s own milieu is one of the vital components of success. From a reductionist perspective, observing the environment, competitors, their intents, strategies and tactics collectively fall under the umbrella of external analysis. Proponents of benchmarking such as strategic decision-makers, equity analysts etc would argue that external analysis is often most useful exercise if conducted judiciously.Proactively monitoring the external environment and its constituents is…

Outsourced Billing is an ideal solution for medical practitioners who do not want to engross themselves in the process of hiring and training a separate billing department altogether. What they can do with utmost ease is to outsource their billing functions to a billing company who will then handle all the aspects themselves. A team of well-trained staff is generally hired by medical billing companies who are completely well-equipped to handle the ins and outs of medical billing.
The way medical practices manage their operations is rapidly changing due to the evolution of modern technologies, regulations by the government, financial boundaries and patient empowerment. This has led practitioners to decide from the various methods they can garner revenues and cut costs without compromising o…

Are you wondering why your recruitment job adverts don’t seem to work anymore and do you want to start doing something about it? Your candidates have changed.
The prevalence of the internet and modern marketing methods means that your candidates have changed. They are more marketing savvy and are bored by seeing the same old type of demanding recruitment ads they’ve seen for years. Ads that aren’t targeted well and don’t talk to them in the right tone. Ads that don’t grab their attention and look tediously similar with a traditional type of layout – Job Description, Requirements, bullets, more bullets …(that’s if it isn’t all in one hard to digest paragraph!) Candidates are consumers now and are used to being marketed to, preferably in a sophisticated and intelligent way.Highl…

Why a meaningful brand is a pharma’s greatest asset
Pharmaceutical companies are under increasing pressure to deliver safe, efficacious and cost-effective drugs, while continuing to be innovative, compliant and profitable.Sustaining competitive advantage has never been more difficult, and businesses are struggling to deliver revenue and growth: Pfizer’s revenues have decreased 28% since 2012, and AstraZeneca’s by 26%. One powerful way companies can safeguard against diminishing shareholder value and returns is to invest in building strong brand equity.With physicians no longer the sole influencers in prescribing and drug purchase decisions; and patients having more access to information about conditions and treatment options than ever before, there is an expanding variety of forces shapin…

How innovating for emerging markets is set to disrupt the global surgical care industry
The growth of emerging markets is poised to transform the delivery of surgical care around the world by 2030, according to a new report. The emphasis will be on affordable technology for early diagnosis; portable modular equipment for minimally invasive and robotic surgery; and smart systems incorporating low-cost sensors and mobile technology to track clinical outcomes and improve team-based surgery.The report summarises the findings of a workshop held in Boston earlier this year by product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants. It offers unique insight into the future of emerging markets surgical care – as seen through the eyes of industry leaders. And it looks at how these new approaches t…

The drive towards preventative healthcare is placing new focus on food – from the dietary qualities of packaged produce, to the health claims of so-called ‘nutraceuticals’. It has captured the imagination of governments, healthcare providers, the general public, and the life sciences industry. But it has also woken the regulatory giants, who are now drawing up new standards for information and labelling, says Peter Muller of Schlafender Hase
Regulators’ growing interest in food and nutraceuticals (foods with added health benefits) reflects growing government interest in helping consumers to make better dietary choices. This will affect the pharma industry, which wants its share of these adjacent market opportunities. Nutraceuticals in particular offers a new take on preventative healthcare…

Empowering experts, retaining talent
It’s hard enough for pharma organisations to find and keep top regulatory talent in the current climate, so the last thing they can afford is to lose valued skills to a competitor. To reduce their exposure, firms need to automate more of their routine processes, relieving pressure on overstretched employees while giving them a better quality of working life, says Dr. Jutta Hohenhörst of Schlafender HaseEven without the implications of Brexit, these are turbulent times for regulatory teams. Compliance has become a full-time job, and administrative demands are on a permanently upward trajectory.The more rules there are, and the more frequently these change, the greater the risk of something going wrong (with product labelling, for example). Often it is hig…

Balancing openness and privacy: clinical trials
The drive to improve the transparency and collaborative nature of life sciences processes has reached clinical study reports, which must now be opened up for external access. This must happen in line with new EMA guidance on safeguarding subjects’ identities. The associated de-identification process is no small feat, so the temptation for manufacturers is to find a shortcut to delivering this in time for the November deadline. But focusing on clinical study reports in isolation won’t leave companies any better prepared for the next raft of requirements, warns Chris Olinger of d-Wise In this era of openness, where the aim is not just to ensure patient safety but also to improve consumer confidence, there is  growing pressure on life sci…

Compliance - more than just red tape Using regulatory criteria to improve product quality
A growing customer demand for regulatory compliance combined with increased competition amongst manufacturers has made SCADA software a minimum requirement for the pharmaceutical industry. Here, Lee Sullivan, Regional Manager at COPA-DATA UK discusses why today, more than ever before, regulatory compliance is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry.FDA statistics are forcing the industry to identify and implement improvements to its manufacturing processes. In its latest reports, the FDA identified a significant increase in the number of drug shortages reported globally. With 65% of these drug shortage instances directly caused by issues in product quality, it’s clear that if more pharma manufa…

How an Artist and Digital Expert Combined became a Competitions International Business Finalist
The Medical Stock Images Company only launched its website, www.medicalstockimages.net in April this year, so it’s still in its infancy. Running the business is creative professional and Medical Artist, Joanna Culley, alongside her husband and business partner Tim Butler who is an expert in digital marketing. Together, this forward thinking couple and their business plan for selling art and illustrations have been selected as finalists for an International Business Award, called ‘Open to Export’The Medical Stock Images Company’s business model is the perfect crossover of digital business expertise and an artists’ skills. Joanna is a leading medical artist who has very successfully been providing…

Alexander Mann Solutions
The culture of the pharmaceutical sector reveres talent and experience above all else – and with good reason. However, at a time when cuts in government spending, patent cliffs, significant talent shortages, and shifts in business focus between therapeutic areas are all threatening the stability of the sector, how can organisations best manage their workforces to ensure future success and profitability?As a historically cash-rich industry, pharma has long had the freedom to hire at will, often from within, but bold new business models coupled with drives towards efficiency are rapidly changing talent needs. The traditional approach to managing skill shortages has been to draft in expertise with little consideration to cost. While this strategy has worked well in…

On-tap analytics: the key to getting ahead in 2016
Whether it’s meeting new regulatory imperatives or the need to position products differently, there are a wealth of challenges facing life sciences companies - and the key to overcoming most of them is the intelligence locked inside everyday data, says Elvis Paćelat, VP Compliance Solutions at AMPLEXOR Life SciencesThe root of the problem seems to be that information capture, management and discovery projects in the industry have evolved according to specific individual requirements; they have not be aligned with a broader vision for business transformation. But the hope is that this will change in 2016, because of intensifying competitive pressures, the need for new business models, and the requirement to be much more transparent with cust…

As a recruiter it' up to you to weed out the bad candidates from the pile, so what strategies do you use? - Here are a few types of candidate who are best avoided...
The Evasive Candidate You’ve more than likely come across this sort of candidate. Ask a straight-forward question, such as why they changed job/career path, and they’re unable to give you a straight answer. There might be valid reasons, but it might equally be because they’re hiding something, are unable to articulate or are uncomfortable being put on the spot. The Job Hopper This sort of candidate is easily spotted. Just look at their CV. Somebody who repeatedly changes job should be viewed with a degree of suspicion. It might be because they get bored easily; they are hard to work with; or they are so career driven that th…

How can pharma firms lure the top talent away from the finance and tech sectors?
The vast majority of you reading this article will be aware that the finance and technology sectors lure much of the top talent when it comes to UK graduate recruitment. And it’s understandable. In finance, it’s well known that you can earn a serious amount of money while in tech you can work on innovative projects in cool, hi-tech, cutting-edge environments. And both provide professionals the chance to build networks with some of the sharpest people around, people who are almost guaranteed to have some sort of success further down the line. The pharmaceutical industry also offers this sort of potential, but far too few of the best and brightest consider it as a serious career option, at least not in the face o…

Tackling a credibility crisis: A watchout for Indian Pharmaceuticals
By Dev K. Ramchandani, Director & Head of India, Hitachi Consulting; and Vivek Chaturvedi, Vice President of EMEA, Hitachi Consulting The Indian pharmaceutical industry has been cited as a “flagship” sector by Prime Minister Modi’s government. It has one of the highest number of UDFDA, UKMHRA, WHO-GMP1 approved manufacturing facilities for medical ingredients and formulations outside of the US and Europe. These facilities are responsible for a quarter of all medicines consumed in the UK and they make nearly 40% of generic drugs and over-the-counter products sold in the US2 as well as many drugs and vaccines used by global aid agencies for health programmes. On paper, the industry is blossoming, so why in reality, i…

The Science of Employee Engagement
A third of employees in the life science sector feel disengaged at work and a salary increase is not the solution. According to a recent survey carried out by leading international staffing agency – ProClinical – a third of staff working within the life sciences industry are disengaged in their jobs and at risk of leaving in the next 12 months. The survey of more than 1000 individuals employed in the life sciences industry, including pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology and contract research organisations in Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific, revealed that disengaged employees are twice as likely to leave and that it takes more than just a good salary to keep them motivated and loyal to their employers. The participants were asked a se…

Smarter steps to compliance: The future of regulatory compliance in the pharmaceutical industry
The pharmaceutical industry today operates in one of the world’s most heavily regulated environments. Over the past few years, the industry has experienced significant regulatory change and looking to the future, the strict nature of the industry doesn’t appear to be slacking. The repercussions of failing to comply with industry standards can be detrimental for pharmaceutical manufacturers. It’s no secret that the integrity and reputation of pharmaceutical brands is integral to their success. As a result, even the smallest failure can be irreversibly damaging. With industry standards surrounding crucial elements like product integrity, energy efficiency, health and safety and product testing,…