MEA Long regarded as a clinical trials backwater, the Middle East has experienced a tremendous surge in clinical research over the past five years. This boom is fuelled by a global demand for representational equity and an urgent need to correct a stark imbalance, as Middle Eastern populations currently account for…

MEA After years of foundational investment in genomics, population screening, and rare disease diagnostics, Gulf nations are entering a transformative era: the delivery of advanced therapeutics. The cell and gene therapy (CGT) landscape within the GCC has fundamentally shifted from importing foreign cures to establishing localized, highly sophisticated manufacturing and clinical…

Global New Takeda CEO Julie Kim inherits a firm with flatlining growth and generic competition eating away at its lead drug’s revenues. Will three major new launches over the next year and swingeing job cuts be enough to revive its fortunes? Now one of just two female Big Pharma CEOs (along…

USA More than 40 years ago in 1983, the Orphan Drug Act was passed in the US to support and incentivise the development of rare disease therapies. Despite the over 6,000 orphan drug designations (ODD) granted by the FDA since then, it is estimated that only around five percent of rare…

USA A sustainable market for generics and biosimilars is the key to lowering the cost of medicine in the US, says John Murphy III, President and CEO of the Association for Accessible Medicines.   Following leadership changes within the FDA, actively prioritizing generic and biosimilar medicines must remain a top focus…

Europe Strong patent portfolios can create substantial commercial value for biopharma companies. As Isobel Barry, partner at life sciences-focused IP firm Carpmaels & Ransford LLP explains,  opportunities to patent new small molecule, biologics and complex therapeutics arise throughout the go-to-market process, from early-stage research, through formulation development and clinical trials, up…

Europe The EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation was implemented in January 2025 to replace 27 fragmented national evaluations with a single Joint Clinical Assessment, run in parallel with EMA review. The idea was simple enough and aimed at giving European patients faster, more equitable access to innovative medicines. In practice, the…

Taiwan Contemporary Taiwan finds itself navigating unprecedented healthcare challenges, having transitioned into a super-aged society with unexpected speed, compounded by one of the lowest birth rates globally. In 2024, to secure the nation’s future, President Lai Ching-te launched his flagship ‘Healthy Taiwan’ initiative. This comprehensive blueprint strives to shift the public…

Taiwan In recent years, Taiwan’s policymakers have been aggressively deploying a multi-layered industrial strategy – and doing so with the benefit of watching earlier regional movers stumble – in an effort to transform the island into a premier global hub for Cell and Gene Therapy (C&GT) manufacturing and development. This state-driven…

Taiwan Over the past three decades, Taiwan’s elderly population – defined as individuals aged 65 and older – has expanded by a staggering 152 percent. This demographic shift has introduced complex public health challenges, most notably a sharp rise in cancer incidence. “The epidemiological picture is quite sobering,” notes John Chang,…

Taiwan Biotechnology has long been a strategic priority for Taiwan’s economic development, standing alongside ICT and semiconductors as a key pillar of growth for the island. Driven by a highly educated scientific workforce and competitive development costs, Taiwan is a natural hub for early-phase drug development and initial manufacturing. However, only…

Taiwan Semiconductors: Silicon Powerhouse Taiwan and semiconductors – the microscopic chips inside virtually every electronic device – are inextricably linked. For a modestly sized island, Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance is extraordinary: through the state-backed TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the island functions as the world’s foundry, manufacturing the advanced chips designed by…