Specifically, Boston leads the way in embracing new research models (for example, Research at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT) and, in building a new research culture that has strong roots in academia and the pharma sector. A recent contribution of US$650 million as the philanthropic donation to Broad is the true testimony. It […]
Vertical Talk Pharma e-newsletter
Breaking Down Borders
If you had run into Mark Engel, CEO and founder of Excel PharmaStudies, at the recent 2008 China Pharmaceutical R&D Summit at Shanghai, you would realise that even the young biotech industry in Asia is not immune to the rapid globalisation of drug discovery and development. Excel, a leading CRO, was started by a western […]
Metabolic Biomarker and Target Discovery in Obesity-Associated Comorbidities
Millions of adults are diagnosed as obese each year worldwide. Many of these people suffer from a disorder known as metabolic syndrome, which includes symptoms such as hypertension and elevated blood cholesterol. They are also at risk of developing additional diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Obesity may, in fact, be a major […]
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Outsourcing preclinical and clinical R&D to China
China has emerged from the shadows of isolation to become a world economic power with a staggering growth rate (8% per annum for the past five years) that will soon eclipse the likes of France and England. Low-cost manufacturing and the availability of inexpensive and abundant labour have fuelled this growth. However, in order to […]
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The Arab Drug Industry
In response to the 21st century challenges to the health sector, WHO established an important global commission on Macroeconomics and Health. One of the important conclusions of the commission report indicated that by the year 2015, the world could save up to 10.5 million lives every year by scaling up access to existing health interventions […]
The Six Great Shifts
Many languages have an equivalent to the expression “Seeing the forest for the trees”, meaning the ability to discern the big picture from little details. That ability is important in life but especially true for leaders of life sciences sector. Every day we are bombarded with news of innovative technology, tighter regulation and new approaches […]
Contract Research organisations
Financial performance of large innovative pharmaceutical companies in 2010 indicated a gloomy prospect for these well-established leaders in their domain. This trend is expected to grow as many drugs are going off-patent in time to come, and with very few blockbusters drugs entering to market due to strict FDA regulations. For instance, Pfizer, stands to […]
Prophylactic and Therapeutic Vaccines
The ideal goal of cancer vaccine is to elicit potent anti-tumour immune responses without any contributing side-effects. The major aim is to stimulate both innate and adaptive immunity that can recognise and subsequently eliminate the tumours mass. Cancer immunotherapy continues to be a field of intense research, especially the induction of active immunity. The existence […]
Improving Pharmaceutical R&D
The pharmaceutical industry now operates in a complex and dynamic global environment. The pace of change is much faster and far less predictable than ever before. To survive and prosper in today’s business environment we need to urgently rethink about how we operate. Specifically, we must challenge the thinking that created our current state and […]
Sustainable Antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), also called antibiotic resistance is a reality. AMR renders antibiotics ineffective, meaning they can no longer fight bacterial infections and ultimately become useless. Every year, AMR is responsible for nearly 50,000 deaths in the US and EU alone. In India, annually nearly 60,000 babies die from sepsis caused by bacteria […]