Biotech needs the right policies to stay on track in new EU Member States

Brussels, 25 September 2009

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, and Venture Valuation, with the collaboration of national stakeholders, yesterday published a ground-breaking report "Biotech in the new EU Member States: an emerging sector"(1), evaluating the biotech industry across the 12 newest EU Member State, as well as Turkey and Croatia.

ICAAC 2009: promising pipeline presents hope in the battle against MRSA resistance

The increasing prevalence of community-acquired strains of the MRSA virus stood as one of the key issues at this year's Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The severity of MRSA disease, and its ability to accumulate resistance to antibiotics, illustrates the high unmet need for suitable treatment, particularly drugs that can be administered orally.

Getting Social

Network innovation is growing... person to person in online forums and office corridors.

Innovation has gotten a bad rap. The term evokes scientists toiling over test tubes under the harsh glare of laboratory lights. To be sure, a good deal of R&D, particularly around specific product development, results from such structured discovery. Increasingly, however, radical innovations are being hatched outside the lab. And companies are often learning that open communication unlocks innovation better than reliance on lonely pursuit does. Informally, in online forums and office corridors, people from divergent backgrounds learn of each other's interests and challenges and discover unexpected business opportunities. And ascompanies pursue innovation, technology becomes a vital tool in connecting global networks of consumers, suppliers and even competitors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is featuring Farmavita.Net in their recent report on innovation. Donwnload free 16 pages report at our Download Section 

Study setback presents ominous signs for key osteoporosis drug class

Eli Lilly terminates development of osteoporosis drug.

Eli Lilly has discontinued the development of osteoporosis drug arzoxifene after a recent study found that treatment with the second generation selective estrogen receptor modulator caused an increase in adverse events. The results raise further questions over the commercial potential of this drug class, with regulatory bodiesthe FDA likely to be increasingly concerned over their safety.

Genzyme: FDA panel verdict presents setback to leukemia drug

Genzyme's plan to expand Clolar's label to include adult myeloid leukemia (AML) has been held up after an FDA advisory committee voted against its approval due to a lack of data. This news comes as a setback to Genzyme, and unless Clolar can show the desired efficacy among Genzyme's target patient population of elderly AML patients, further uptake of the drug in the clinical setting is unlikely.

AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim steal limelight at European Society of Cardiology meeting

Well crafted, positive results for AstraZeneca's Brilinta and an unexpected coup for Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa dominated the headlines following this year's European Society of Cardiology's Annual Meeting in Barcelona. Both announcements have a number of important implications for the wider cardiology market, from both therapeutic and commercial perspectives.

Open Innovation
New R&D Paradigm for Pharmaceutical Industry

Over the next decade, the life sciences industries will be faced with sweeping demographic shifts, energy and environment threats, increasing globalization, mounting health care costs, the rise of emerging markets, and accelerating convergence between industry sectors. The life sciences industries are clearly poised for a period of massive shifts, and the most successful players in 2015 will be those whose strategies not only reflect these trends, but also adapt to them and take advantage of them.

To do so, life sciences companies must first clearly understand the forces that are changing the industries, and the issues that they will need to overcome in order to be successful in 2015.

StayinFront, Inc signs two year global partnership agreement with eyeforpharma

July 21, 2009, London

eyeforpharma has signed a two year partnership agreement with StayinFront Inc. a global provider of enterprise-wide life sciences CRM and SFA solutions. StayinFront will be partnering with eyeforpharma worldwide on conferences, webinars, seminars and newsletters on topics ranging from CRM and Sales Force Effectiveness to eMarketing, Electronic Territory Mapping System and Key Account Management. There will also be a major online and electronic presence supporting this strategic relationship. Paul Simms the Managing Director of eyeforpharma stated that "eyeforpharma has worked closely with StayinFront for a number of years. This partnership is a natural progression of our close global relationship. I look forward to collaborating and reaching our mutual goals and objectives."