globalEDGE Blog - By Tag: pharmaceuticals

A recent surge in the popularity of obesity and weight loss drugs in the United States is reshaping Denmark’s pharmaceutical industry.

In China, many business owners are excited  for a new year with no restrictions as China has lifted the Zero COVID-19 Policy. On December 7th, 2022, China put an end to this policy. The critical question is what this means for China’s economy for the coming years and the effect on the supply chain. The world is connected through China-centric supply chains, and any ‘delay’ in those chains causes global production and the world economy trouble. The abrupt move away from the Zero COVID policy could mean that China may begin focusing once again on economic growth. However, China is now facing new supply chain issues and a wave of COVID-19 sweeping through the country, impacting the growth of these newly opened supply chains.

Pfizer-BioNTech, the American-German paired company, has been the leading company for providing a COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) granted Emergency Use Authorization in early December of 2020. Pfizer-BioNTech was later given emergency validation by the World Health Organization. As of August 23, 2021, Pfizer-BioNTech is the first vaccine to be FDA approved, meaning they have met the rigorous standards of the FDA. This is a significant milestone for Pfizer-BioNTech. While many have already been vaccinated, there is now additional confidence in the vaccine.

Scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike are finally nearing the ending stages of preparing a vaccine for COVID-19 for commercial use. With at least 10 vaccine candidates currently in the early phases of human testing and two candidates likely to receive FDA authorization in the coming weeks, governments and citizens worldwide are eager to begin the end of the ongoing pandemic.

The pharmaceutical industry is defined as the discovery, development, and manufacture of drugs and medications. It’s widespread, including research, chemicals, and the regulation and involvement of government agencies.  However, the characteristics of the pharmaceutical industry differ by region.  Today, we’ll look at the key aspects of this sprawling industry in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the United States.

Drug prices in America have become an issue for many. Medications can cost two and three times more in the United States than they do in European countries. A drug that treats arthritis, psoriasis and other similar conditions, Humira, costs $822 dollars in Iceland but $2,669 in America.

The Danish firm Novo Nordisk confirmed on Monday, January 30th its investment of 144.5 million dollars to employ about 100 academics and scientists to perform research and treatments for type 2 diabetes. This investment has helped raise the economic standard of the UK which has been on a decline since the announcement of the Brexit. The research will occur in Oxford, but any new treatments are likely to be developed and produced in Denmark. This will help both countries economically, and boost confidence for further investments. 

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., a corporation based in Quebec, is currently in talks to sell Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a company that manufactures gastrointestinal drugs. Valeant originally acquired Salix in March 2015 for $14.5 billion. The purchase was part of a growth strategy of buying pharmaceutical businesses with reputable products and cutting their research costs to maximize profits. However, Valeant lost much stock value over the past year due to unethical business activities, including price hikes, unreliable accounting, and secret collusion. Recently, the company undertook major efforts to change its leadership, settle its legal suits, pay off its debts, and re-establish growth. Selling Salix could be instrumental to these plans; just this week, news of the potential sale increased Valeant's stock by 34%. While prospective clients have been mostly kept anonymous, Japan's Takeda Phamaceutical Co. Ltd. has expressed public interest.

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has been faced with the message of “do more with less.” Companies in the industry are used to arguing with insurers over the coverage of a particular drug, searching for cures for seemingly untreatable diseases, or facing public backlash from the high prices of currently sold drugs. Overall, this underlying message is not expected to go away in 2016, and significant challenges are predicted ahead.

It is no secret that America tops the list of fattest nations. In fact, it is one of the largest stereotypes facing the people of the United States. Yet for the first time, competition has emerged from other nations like Mexico, New Zealand, and Chile and it may even be due to U.S. markets. Both fast food and drug markets are spreading globally, and consequently, so is obesity. With obesity, of course, come related health issues, especially diabetes, which is where the pharmaceutical companies swoop in to save the day while churning out incredible profits.

In the early 1990s India was a closed market and it has gone a long way since then to become an important player in the international trade scene. The country is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a growth rate of 8-10%. This rate in combination with the large market in India makes it a desirable trade partner for many other countries. The European Union, for example, is looking to establish a Free Trade Agreement with India - negotiations started in 2007 and the agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of this year according to EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht.

“Fast and growing” is how the Turkish market is described by Jim Fluker, Senior Commercial Officer of the United States Foreign Commercial Service.  With a population of over 72 million and a growing middle class, Turkey is poised to be an ideal export market.  The country is uniquely positioned between Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where the political climate is relatively mild in comparison to many of its neighbors.