Africa Medicines for Africa’s Lenias Hwenda reflects on Moderna’s recent decision not to go ahead with plans for a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kenya, and why local production remains crucial to building Africa’s healthcare autonomy.   In a turn of events that is both disappointing yet somehow not surprising, Moderna recently…

Spain Brazilian national Maria Fernanda Prado, who began her career in pharma more than 20 years ago, has been at Janssen/Johnson & Johnson for more than half of that time. She has taken on the leadership of a diverse set of geographies —­ from Turkey to Central Europe and Benelux —…

Global 2023 was a breakthrough year for cell and gene therapies. The field saw a record number of FDA approvals, as other promising therapies in a broad range of therapeutic areas progressed through the pipeline. 2024 looks to be another important year with up to 17 new therapies poised for regulatory…

Mexico The latest stories from Mexican pharma and healthcare, including Sanfer’s purchase of Colombia-based manufacturer Vitalis; Organon Mexico’s new business; the FDA’s warning to Glicerinas Industriales, and a look at the issues, including health, the new Mexican president will have to face.   Mexico’s Health Ministry issues measles alert (Mexico News) Mexico’s…

Global Having been quietly working away on its mRNA platform for years, Moderna stepped into the limelight during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a commercial-stage outfit almost overnight with its vaccine. After generating sales of USD 18.4 billion in 2022, demand for the company’s Spikevax shot, still its only commercialized product…

Switzerland While the Swiss biotech sector is inevitably facing many of the same funding challenges as the global industry and is still struggling to make a meaningful comeback from its 2022 slump, the latest report from the Swiss Biotech Association and EY shows the sector’s resilience with the record revenues of…

Egypt The latest news from Egyptian healthcare and life sciences, including progress towards the launch of a massive new oncology hospital, why local manufacturer EIPICO is expanding into Kazakhstan, increased governmental investment in education and health, and lessons from the country’s successful battle against Hepatitis C.   Egypt gears up for…

Africa Nigeria has become the first country to roll out a new meningitis vaccine. The product, a shot able to protect against the five causes of meningococcal meningitis, was developed by the Serum Institute of India (SIIPL) and health equity non-profit PATH. With more meningitis vaccine-based projects in the pipeline, stakeholders…

China Since it was established in 1988,  PhIRDA, an organization that groups together China’s pharma innovators, research institutions and investors has played an active role in the evolution of China’s biopharma landscape. Executive President Prof. Song Ruilin outlines the advances and some of the challenges and opportunities facing China’s biotech and…

Africa Medicines for Africa’s Lenias Hwenda argues that the success of the much-talked-about African Medicines Agency hinges on a critical mass of African national regulators achieving WHO Level 3 maturity status. While acknowledging the importance of international actors in making this happen, Hwenda argues that – if the African Medicines Agency…

Italy A roundup of some of the biggest stories from Italian pharma and healthcare, including Italfarmaco’s FDA approval for its DMD treatment; Alfasigma’s acquisition of Galapagos’s Jyseleca, the antibiotics deal between Venatorx Pharmaceuticals and Menarini, and the country’s drop in healthcare spending.   Stevanato Group Announces Public Offering of Ordinary Shares…

Japan Writing in DIA’s Global Forum magazine for April 2024 on behalf of DIA Japan’s Open Innovation Community Fumitaka Noji, Takeshi Kono, and Makoto Nagaoka look at how the gap between Japan’s academia and pharma companies can best be bridged to fully reap the benefits of innovation.   Although open innovation in drug…