Tagged with Vaccines

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…

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…

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…

Saudi Arabia Since joining Moderna as its first ex-US commercial employee in Spring 2020, Dan Staner has played a leading role in developing what is now one of the world’s top 20 biggest pharma companies. Speaking exclusively to PharmaBoardroom, Staner describes how Moderna has been able to fashion a new, optimised company…

Global Gavi, the world’s largest vaccine-focused public-private partnership has a new leader. Pakistani Senator Dr Sania Nishtar has officially assumed the role of CEO following a period of leadership uncertainty for the organisation and must now lay out Gavi’s strategic plan for 2026 to 2030, as well as convince its partners…

Saudi Arabia Halal pharmaceuticals, or medicines produced according to Islamic dietary laws, presented a global market worth some USD 100 billion in 2019, yet much of halal pharmaceuticals’ potential remains untapped. In conversation with PharmaBoardroom, Mazen M. Hassanain, co-founder and managing director of SaudiVax, a pioneer in halal vaccines, discusses the development…

USA The COVID-19 pandemic looked like a turning point for vaccines, but while R&D has made tremendous strides with ground-breaking platform technologies and mRNA, vaccines continue to attract fewer investments than areas such as oncology. As panel members at the “Reviewing Vaccine Pipeline Breakthroughs and Barriers” session during BIO’s recent CEO…

UK Last year the UK-based pharma industry warned against the country’s waning competitiveness, condemning the government’s statutory scheme designed to control drug prices. UK-headquartered AstraZeneca joined the battle cry, claiming it would be choosing Ireland over Britain, a decision the company has now more than revised with a GBP 650 million…

Saudi Arabia SaudiVax, a pioneering force in the halal vaccines field, has recently expanded its focus to include biologics, aligning with broader market trends towards vegan and Halal products. Co-Founder and Managing Director Prof. Mazen M. Hassanain outlines how the company has shifted its distributor strategy to form partnerships with small to…

Africa Writing in the February 2024 edition of the DIA Global Forum magazine, Verena Pfaffinger and Ilona Baraniak-Lang of PharmaLex examine how the drug shortages seen in the global south during and after the COVID-19 pandemic can best be overcome through the adoption of decentralised manufacturing.   The COVID-19 pandemic exposed…

Portugal Pfizer holds a prominent position in Portugal’s pharmaceutical landscape, especially in the hospital business and for COVID-19-related products, with the emphasis now on sustainable growth post-COVID. Paulo Teixeira, a 26-year pharma industry veteran, lays out his strategy for the affiliate and highlights some of the key challenges in Portugal’s healthcare…

Portugal Sérgio Alves describes the personal and professional factors that drove his return to Portugal, where he draws on enriching experiences gained from working in various European markets. He also discusses how AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine served as a jumping-off point for more wide-ranging discussions with governmental stakeholders, and the affiliate’s positive…