Articles

The Covid-19 crisis is having an immense impact on every sector, damaging organisations of all sizes. That being said, while the pandemic is undoubtably far from over, there is finally a light at the end of tunnel, with positive signs of recovery appearing across the globe.
The Covid-19 crisis is having an immense impact on every sector, damaging organisations of all sizes. That being said, while the pandemic is undoubtably far from over, there is finally a light at the end of tunnel, with positive signs of recovery appearing across the globe. Deaths and infection rates across Europe are significantly decreasing, global restrictions are continuing to ease and a UK team has recently discovered that dexamethasone is a viable treatment for the sickest patients. Meanwhile, scientists across the…

What are the supply chain challenges for delivering a vaccine? Delivering a new vaccine for COVID-19 worldwide will be one of the greatest challenges faced by modern pharma. The difficulties are intensified by pre-existing shortcomings in the supply chain.
COVID-19 has impacted every country around the world since its arrival in late 2019, either directly or indirectly due to its effect on the global economy. However, things are looking up. By the end of 2021, the WHO plans to deliver over 2 billion doses of a Coronavirus vaccine. The scientific research community is making strong ground. As of 22nd July, there are 24 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation, some of which have already entered the final phase of clinical trials. But this is an ambitious timeline and presents huge challen…

Two-year long project cycles are no longer an option as the pace of change accelerates to meet the demands of fast-changing market conditions. Life sciences companies know that technology can help them drive greater responsiveness from IT teams and suppliers to the changing needs of the business.
Two-year long project cycles are no longer an option as the pace of change accelerates to meet the demands of fast-changing market conditions. Life sciences companies know that technology can help them drive greater responsiveness from IT teams and suppliers to the changing needs of the business. But agile development needs to extend beyond the IT department, if companies are to see the benefits of faster business transformation, argues Romuald Braun, VP of Strategy for Life Sciences at Amplexor. …

In the light of new ePI guidelines in Europe for medicinal products, Arriello’s Irena Milobratovic considers the opportunities and implications of providing up-to-date product & safety information to patients and healthcare professionals via the web
Earlier this year, the European authorities, EMA, the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) of EU Member States and EC, published a set of key principles[1], outlining a harmonised approach to developing and delivering up-to-date information about medicines online – an important step towards making electronic product information (ePI) a reality for human medicines in the region. The development cannot come soon enough. A medicine’s product information comprises regulated, scientifically-validated detail which informs patients and consumers about a p…

As COVID-19 threatens to derail more than a decade’s worth of hard-won gains in the fight against malaria, Dr Benjamin Pretorius, managing director at ERADA Technology Alliance, warns that diversions of malaria resources and interruptions to prevention programmes may cost thousands of lives.
As COVID-19 threatens to derail more than a decade’s worth of hard-won gains in the fight against malaria, Dr Benjamin Pretorius, managing director at ERADA Technology Alliance, warns that diversions of malaria resources and interruptions to prevention programmes may cost thousands of lives. He said: “2020 was heralded as the year the global community stepped up its fight to eradicate malaria once and for all. Slowing death rates and mortality, coupled with advancements in detection and research, painte…

The importance of fast, accurate and trusted communication came into sharp focus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From sharing patient information across a multi-disciplinary team to making rapid decisions regarding admitting a patient or referring them back to the community for outpatient care, the ability to rapidly share concise, effective and consistent information has been critical.
The importance of fast, accurate and trusted communication came into sharp focus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From sharing patient information across a multi-disciplinary team to making rapid decisions regarding admitting a patient or referring them back to the community for outpatient care, the ability to rapidly share concise, effective and consistent information has been critica…

We've compiled a list of companies and organisations who are involved in COVID-19 research to help you find the most up-to-date news. If there are any missing, let us know.
This list of organisations involved in COVID-19 research is not exhaustive, and is in no particular order - let me know if there's any key ones missing. Kiniksa Novavax Inc. Roche Biontech + Pfizer CEPI Cytodyn  Moderna, Inc. Heat biologics AbbVie Gilead Johnson & Johnson Eli Lilly and Company Pfizer GSK Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc Vir Sanofi Curevac APEIRON Biologics Dyadic International, Inc Emergent BioSolutions Inc. Mesoblast Migal CanSino Biologics Inc Takeda

Becoming a doctor is not easy. It takes years of training and you will have to prove yourself at every turn. For those willing to put in the work, there are a number of essential steps that must be taken in order to qualify. Let’s take a look.
Becoming a doctor is not easy. It takes years of training and you will have to prove yourself at every turn. For those willing to put in the work, there are a number of essential steps that must be taken in order to qualify. Let’s take a look. University It is impossible to become a doctor without a medical degree from a GMC (General Medical Council) - approved university. Most medical degrees last for five years, and offer a mixture of medical science theory and practical training. In order to enrol, students will need at least three A levels, two of…

Comradery and mutual respect between employees have always been a goal for any HR leader but this pandemic has changed the way work relationships used to be. The lockdown has changed us internally and we have missed our friends the most. Before the lockdown the best way to demonstrate friendship was over a cup of tea/coffee at the workplace. With virtual meetings and social distancing becoming part of the new normal it has become more important than ever to have friends at work
Friendships at work, more important in the New Normal! Comradery and mutual respect between employees have always been a goal for any HR leader but this pandemic has changed the way work relationships used to be. The lockdown has changed us internally and we have missed our friends the most. Before the lockdown, the…

Thanks to technology, patients get better treatment with virtual reality tools, wearable medical devices, telehealth, and 5G mobile technology. Here are the most discussing trends which are helping physicians to achieve top-quality healthcare treatment.
As digital health gains momentum, the medical professional is bound to shift and evolve at a growth rate that is sure to outpace the previous years. Today, as the promise of digital health becomes even more highlighted, more and more patients expect the physicians to deliver better standards of care customized to their needs. Not only this, they expect the practices to meet their requirements in a manner suited to their personal schedules and lifestyles. In lieu of this digitization and changing patient expectations, there are five key trend…

The COVID outbreak in the beginning of 2020 has brought many industries to grinding halt, the primary of them being the Pharmaceutical industry. This one, in fact, has been facing a dilemma because of the pandemic situation. While the pharmaceutical supply chain is stretching itself to produce more medicines to address the increasing need of combating COVID, it is also facing the increasing threat of counterfeit drugs. In Brazil, which is the world’s second largest manufacturer of drugs is witnessing four times the number of counterfeit drug circulation. It is believed that close to 60 of their prescription drugs are being circulated as counterfeits. This is also growing pertinent in several African regions too, increasing the tension in the industry even further.
The COVID outbreak in the…

Knowing the way institutions name their drugs is crucial. It can save lives and ensure people follow the proper dosage of medications.
According to the Institute of Medicine, over 1.5 million Americans get sick, injured, or killed by errors in dispensing, prescribing, and taking medications every year. A study in the British Medical Journal found that about 251,000 Americans die every year because of medical errors, such as drug name and dose mixups. Overview of Drug Naming A branded prescription drug has three names. Chemical Name: the pharmaceutical company gives the new drug this name. The organization follows the rules set by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Chemical names describe the molecular structure of drugs. Users often struggle with these na…

Let's talk about the ecology of your social environment, and how corporate culture influences the ways that employees can achieve success and well-being.
Let's talk about the ecology of your social environment, and how corporate culture influences the ways that employees can achieve success and well-being.       Certainly, you might have noticed that when you are talking to positive and happy people, your mood gets better too. And it isn't just your mood of the day. When you work in a successful company, your projects take off immediately because of the success of others rubs off on you. ; when the team is working incredibly, every project catches fire, the process is smooth and becomes wonderfully effective. Additionally, there is much fun, and everything feels sweet and easy.      One ca…

Unemployment rates across the globe have dramatically risen, yet despite that, so many countries have chosen to ignore COVID and do their best to recover economically. Although there are more vacancies on job boards and the like, it might seem that things are looking up. However, will the job market be the same? Most of you would quickly say 'no'. Well, how are you going to respond agilely to this norm? It's the eternal law of evolution: Adapt or die. The same challenge applies to employees and employers.
I can't recall a day since the world turned upside-down when I did not see headlines or discussions around the new norms, that the world will never be as we were used to. Unemployment rates across the globe have dramatically risen, yet despite that, so many countries have c…

Data collated for the regulator can be a key driver of business success. Xavier Duburcq, ProductLife Group’s CEO, outlines how life sciences companies can gain real value from compliance activities.
Maintaining compliance can feel relentless. Each time life sciences companies think they are on top of everything, specifications are updated or a new wave of change comes along. Regulatory work is too often viewed as a necessary evil, something to satisfy the authorities and minimise business risk. Beyond this, organisations have not typically looked for the real strategic benefits that are in plain sight. Companies are moving away from processes built around manually filling in paper or PDF documents for each unique regulatory reporting requirement, toward building rich, dynamic databases wh…

Many pharmaceutical companies are pivoting almost overnight to create and deliver entirely new product lines. Unprecedented disruption to the supply chain resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that changes that normally spend months or years in the regulatory pipeline are happening in days. Kallik CEO Gurdip Singh offers some practical guidance for the pharma sector, as the requirement for business agility becomes the new normal.
Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals are struggling to meet demand for current product lines, while pivoting their operations to join in the race to develop a vaccine or repurpose existing drugs to treat Covid-19. This is in the context of widespread disruption across supply chains, driven by volatility in the supply of raw materials and substances. The need t…

Connecting data silos and automating regulatory processes is only possible with consistent and up-to-date data. Iperion’s Duncan van Rijsbergen sets out five top tips to achieve data quality.
Life science companies are increasingly focused on the need for digital transformation in the pharmaceutical industry. The reality is that basic issues such as getting up-to-date and consistent data to talk to each other across functions and systems are stymieing ambitions. Regulatory systems contain data on products and their licences. There is also procedural data, recording interactions with the authorities about a licence, from the initial application through to post-authorisation changes to the licence. Elsewhere, expert functions from manufacturing to clinical teams generate the basic data that f…

Northern health data experts call on the Government to invest in local data sharing to help recover from COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.
Northern health data experts call on the Government to invest in local data sharing to help recover from COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.  Trusted health data networks set up by the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) Connected Health Cities (CHC) project now exist in the North of England and could be used to flow data to help local communities take swifter, more decisive actions in tackling crises such as COVID-19.  Dr Séamus O’Neill, Chief Executive at the NHSA, said: “CHC is a proven model of work that has gained the trust of millions of people across the North and paved the way for 10 million shared health data records.  “As lo…

Historically, the food, drink and fragrance industries have led the way when it comes to engaging consumers on a sensory level. However, as the health sector shifts its focus from curative to preventative solutions, providers must start to prioritise the sensory experience to a similar degree.
Historically, the food, drink and fragrance industries have led the way when it comes to engaging consumers on a sensory level. However, as the health sector shifts its focus from curative to preventative solutions, providers must start to prioritise the sensory experience to a similar degree. Fundamentally, providers have a responsibility to make solutions in this space as engaging as possible; consumer will take better care of themselves if they enjoy doing so. However, sensory enrichment is also a…

Covid-19 has created many unanticipated challenges, including difficulties in meeting contractual obligations. As some readers may have unfortunately found in recent weeks, life science companies have suffered from supply chain disruptions - making it difficult, or even impossible, to manufacture a particular drug.
Covid-19 has created many unanticipated challenges, including difficulties in meeting contractual obligations. As some readers may have unfortunately found in recent weeks, life science companies have suffered from supply chain disruptions - making it difficult,or even impossible, to manufacture a particular drug. As such, since the outbreak of Covid-19, Force Majeure has been somewhat of a buzzword in the legal industry. However, the extent to which life sciences companies can…