Articles

Joining forces to beat cancer in Asia

Three of the world’s biggest pharma companies are joining forces to try and combat Asia’s ‘cancer epidemic’

The figures are startling: Asia-Pacific makes up about half of the world’s cancer deaths and the region is projected to log around 8.1 million new cases by 2020.

China alone is home to about one-fifth of the world’s new cases, compared to about 13 percent in the US and 26 percent in Europe.

Social Media and the Pharma Industry

Every other industry is getting on the social media bandwagon. But could social media actually prove beneficial to the world of pharma?

Outside of the pharmaceutical industry, business is continually finding innovative ways to make use of social media to engage with customers in order to drive sales, maintain relationships and uncover issues. Within the world of pharma, however, an intense regulatory environment and over-protectiveness of intellectual property have proven a minefield for pharma companies keen to dip their toes into the social media pool.

The Future of Pharma is Asia

Emma Naylor

Reshaping the pharmaceutical industry's quality standards is currently the top priority for the Chinese government. Earlier announcements by its Ministry of Health to issue new tougher Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) standards for medical products comes at the right time as current regulations do not meet international standards which result in poor performance by Chinese companies in the international market.

Patent dispute settlement by Arbitration

Jayanthi Murthy & Rustom Mody

Disputes interfere with the successful use and commercialization of patent rights. Providing way for resolving them as fairly and competently as possible, without disturbing underlying business relationships, is therefore an important challenge for international IP policy. Arbitration has a number of unique characteristics that can serve this purpose, and as such offers an important option for resolving patent disputes.

Next Generation Online

Outsource to Europe

Jake Mazan
The pharmaceutical industry has faced well documented challenges over the last 12 months, such as the Pfizer. The industry is only too aware of this and understands that now is the time to look at new processes and a change in the way they have traditionally done business.

Pharmacovigilance

Moving from productivity concern to strategic asset?

Christopher R Albani, Managing Director, Yorozu Tabata, Partner, PRTM Management Consultants, Japan
During the last few years, pharmaceutical companies have shifted their focus in Pharmacovigilance operations from "compliance" to "productivity". In the midst of the current economic crisis, this tendency seems obvious. However, another trend is emerging. Some leading firms have turned their functional strategies in this area from "productivity of operation" to "strategic value of safety profiles.

Stem Cells

So near yet so far

Satish Totey Chief Scientific Officer, Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd
Stem Cells have been repeatedly talked in public and scientific community and all the stem cell biologists and scientists agree that stem cell have the potential for treating human diseases and disorders.

When Borders Break Down

The new generation of Asian Biotechnology industry

George YehGeneral Manager, Taiwan Liposome Company
The pharmaceutical industry is in a nascent stage of globalisation in terms of drug development, where a few big names still reign. . Yet an increasing trend of transnational partnerships is seen to be formed to deliver value arbitrage through leveraging cost arbitrage. How the Asian biotechnology companies take advantage of this trend has become the vital topic for all managers involved.

Project Management

A Case for High Performance

Timothy Stockert, Principal & Owner, INNOVA Group, Inc. USA
As increased competitiveness paves its way in the global arena, all market places, whether pharma, automotive or manufacturing are undergoing continual changes to cut cost and increase efficiency. This article brings with it the challenges faced by individual companies to tailor their project managements and stay ahead of the competition.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Simulation of particulate processes

Dr John Favier, Chief Executive Officer, DEM Solutions, United Kingdom
Efficient handling and processing of particulates is critical to profitable manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Over 75 percent of all pharmaceutical products are in the solid dosage form and particulates are involved in almost every stage of the manufacturing process.

Clinical Research

Success and Failure in the Sponsor-Vendor Partnership

Susan Bassion,CDISC Lab Team Leader, CDISC, USA
Establishing a good relationship between a sponsor and a contract research organisation (vendor) is the responsibility of both the sides in the partnership. Sponsor accessibility and responsiveness is a critical piece of the solution. The vendors, in turn, must meet their obligations in a professional manner.

Biopharm

Bullish on India

Jim Worrell,CEO, Pharma Services Network
The BioPharm market is being driven by strong governmental support, including the creation of intellectual property protection laws, economic development zones, and relevant university curriculum.

Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing

Sandra Fox, President, HighTech Business Decisions
Pricing pressures, primarily for large-scale production of biologics is causing the typically North American and European industry to now include Asia.

Conducting Global Paediatric Clinical Trials

Michael J. Rieder,Chair in Paediatric Clinical Pharmacology, Children’s Health Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario
Regulatory imperatives, economic incentives, new methods and technology and the chance to make a difference in the health of children worldwide provide compelling reasons to pursue global drug studies in children.

Orphan Drugs

Asia, The New Frontier

Mary Dunkle, Vice President, Communications, National Organization for Rare Disorders
As the home to more than half the world’s population, Asia is poised to become an area of tremendous interest to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in research on the thousands of diseases considered rare.

Understanding the Psyche of Japanese Pharmaceutical Consumers

Yuta Kaneko, Director, Meditech, ACNielsen
Understanding the psyche of Japanese pharmaceutical consumers is really a case of understanding the psyche of older and elderly Japanese.

Asia Pharmaceutical Sector

Outlook

Liew Kou Yew, Assistant Vice President, Life Sciences - Asia, Rabobank International
Given its traditional resourcefulness and determination, it is beyond doubt that Asia’s place within the global pharmaceutical industry over the next few decades will grow in rapid prominence.

Generics Market in Asia

Opportunities and Challenges

C R Chenthir K, CEO, Plutus Pharma Network Pvt. Ltd.
Increasing patent expirations, Asia's aging population and the need for less expensive drugs is fuelling the growth of generics market in the region. However, there are some challenges to be met in order to sustain the growth.

Asia

The Emerging Pharma R&D Hub

Rajeshwer ChigullapalliandFeroz ZaheerEditorial Team, Pharma Focus Asia
Asia is emerging as a powerhouse of pharmaceutical R&D facilitated by the availability of a vast patient population, quality data, lower costs and skilled manpower.