Japan Already established as one of the world’s leading markets for innovative and patented drugs, Japan is set to grow rapidly in 2019, partly as a result of a dramatic uptake in generics and biosimilars.   Japan’s pharmaceutical industry has long centred on strong innovation and patented drugs, but we are…

Opinion Despite the savings and increased patient access biosimilars have brought to health care systems across Europe, the US has been surprisingly slow in their adoption. Chip Davis, President and CEO, Association for Accessible Medicines breaks down the systematic challenges that must be addressed in order for the US biosimilars market to realize…

China The lowdown on what it takes to be a country manager of a multinational pharma company in some of the world’s most challenging markets. Robert Hall of Ardent Search outlines what he looks for in potential candidates for country manager positions in China.   What are the qualities you look…

Opinion For PharmaBoardroom, Ian Chamberlain has already covered the changing role of the medical rep and the line manager of tomorrow. This time he turns his attention to sales trainers and the skills they will need to expand on in coming years.   It is a myth that the longer I do…

Opinion Kelly du Plessis is CEO & Founder of Rare Diseases South Africa, a registered NPO born out of necessity when her oldest child was diagnosed with Pompe disease at 11 months old. Here she provides insights on where South Africa is at in terms of rare diseases and what needs…

Opinion Pierre Meulien, Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) in Europe, outlines the value of public-private partnerships in drug research and development and highlights areas where these collaborations are proving their worth in overcoming some of the most challenging threats to our health.    Our collective ability to translate…

South Korea This week the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that as of 12th March 2019 a revised narcotics bill will go into effect that will allow imports of medical cannabis for self-treatment but under strict conditions.   Until now, the import, export, manufacturing and sale of cannabis has been…

Turkey Turkey – home to an 80 million-strong population, a substantial pharmaceuticals market and a universal healthcare system that is the envy of its neighbours – stands as one of the most promising healthcare and life science investment destinations in its region. Topics covered in this report range from the successes…

Rare Diseases In the run-up to Rare Disease Day 2019, David H. Crean, PhD, Managing Director for Objective Capital Partners, reviews the investment and deal activity for orphan drugs in 2018 and delves into future forecasts for the rare disease space.   With drugs currently available for only about 5% of rare diseases,…

Canada Durhane Wong-Rieger is the President & CEO of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD). In her first article for PharmaBoardroom, Durhane explains the changing landscape for access to rare disease drugs in Canada and the actors involved in getting there.   The irony of the government processes, which, on…

Opinion Brian Hilberdink, President of Novo Nordisk Canada, calls for the Canadian government to encourage and invest in innovative biopharmaceutical companies in Canada.    I’ve often wondered how things would be if Canada had steadily continued a path of biopharmaceutical discovery and commercialization after Banting and Best’s breakthrough in 1921, and what…

Opinion After her son was diagnosed with SYNGAP1 – an extremely rare gene mutation – Monica Weldon founded Bridge the Gap – SYNGAP Education and Research Foundation to support families of those suffering from the illness and to accelerate the path to better therapies. Here, Monica shares her organisations secret to success in the…