Industry news

NIH programs to focus on emerging areas of science

National Institutes of Health, USA

Scientific areas ripe for targeted investments in technology development and research to improve health are the focus of new programs of the National Institutes of Health’s Common Fund. The programs include work to facilitate the study of how sugar modifications affect proteins, to understand the arrangement of DNA within cells in four dimensions, and to enable the development of new therapies that allow control of organ function through manipulation of nerves.

Russian start-up launches web-based cancer diagnosis service

Marchmount Innovation News

Russian start-up Unim (United Medicine) has launched the Unim Histology Internet service, which will make it possible for cancer patients to send analyses remotely to the Dmitri Rogachev Federal Clinical and Research Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Immunology in Moscow,  reported  East-West Digital News, the first all English-language online resource dedicated to Russian digital industries. 

Chubais sees Russia among world’s nanotech leaders

Marchmount Innovation News

Russia has every opportunity to join the global leaders in nanotechnology by 2020, asserted Anatoly Chubais, the president of Rusnano, Russia’s largest nanotech company, at the opening ceremony for Rusnano’s new nanotech center in Dubna outside Moscow. 

Non-profits call for Medicare policy reforms and lower drug prices

BioCentury

Reinstating Medicare rebates would save an estimated $141.2 billion over 10 years, according to a report released by Social Security Works and the Medicare Rights Center. The report outlines policy options to cut costs for Medicare, including restoring Medicare prescription drug rebates and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for Part D.

Drugmakers to share neglected compounds with British academia

Ben Hirschler, Reuters

A group of seven leading drugmakers has agreed to share an array of neglected experimental medicines with British academic researchers in the latest example of the deepening ties between industry and external scientists.

Pharma's tax inversion craze has Washington's attention, but doubts persist about appetite for action

Michael Flanagan, FirstWord Lists

What began as a trickle of companies seeking to take advantage of lower corporate tax rates overseas is beginning to look more like a fully fledged stampede for the exit as at least eight US-based companies have announced plans this year for deals that would involve reincorporating abroad.

Drive to Add FDA Drug Police in India Delayed

Anna Edney, Bloomberg

Five months after the top U.S. drug regulator promised to expand the office that polices Indian companies that make medicine for U.S. patients, an exodus of workers is cramping the effort.

NIH scientists identify gene linked to fatal inflammatory disease in children

National Institutes of Health, USA

Repurposed drugs may offer first potential therapy

Overcoming Clinical Challenges in Russia

Beth Nuskey, Life Science Connect - Thomson Reuters

Slated to rise from 11th to eighth place in the global pharmaceutical rankings, Russia is steadily proving to be a lucrative market for investors. With increased healthcare expenditure and governmental support of innovation through the implementation of Strategy 2020, policymaking and industry reform are shaping Russia’s drug development landscape. Efforts to localize pharmaceutical manufacturing and increase domestic R&D standing have been successful.

Russia’s Support of Domestic Production as a Key Element in the Development of its Pharmaceutical Industry: Opportunities and risks for international players

Igor Petrushin, Head of Market Research and Consulting Division, Aston Consulting / Pharma Boardroom

Since 2012, a 15% preferential contract price has been granted to domestic producers bidding in government tenders. Currently, there are plans to increase this preferential pricing by up to 40% of the total contract price.