Industry news

Pharma's social media activity is up, but there's still work to be done on audience insights: Review

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

The good news is that pharma is solidly onboard with social media use. The not-as-good news is that most companies still have work to do in understanding their social media audiences, according to the latest Social Check-up by Ogilvy Healthworld, part of Ogilvy CommonHealth.

Woe to pharmas that rely on price hikes, analyst says. Who can go without? BMS, Lilly and Regeneron, for three

Tracy Staton / Fierce Biotech

It’s time for drugmakers to stop relying so much on price increases to grow sales. That’s not a politician speaking; it’s influential Goldman Sachs analyst Jami Rubin, who analyzed pharma’s dependence on price hikes in a recent investor note.

Targeting cardiovascular disease risk factors may be important across a lifetime

U.S. National Institute of Health

New findings suggest that all adults, including those over 65, should be mindful of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The results, published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, are part of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which looks at stroke incidence in approximately 30,000 individuals. The REGARDS study is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Indian union plots mass protest against 'unfair' treatment of pharma sales reps

Phil Taylor / Fierce Pharma

A strike by Sun Pharma employees this week is just one symptom of a campaign by a prominent trade union to seek more equitable working conditions for pharma sales representatives.

PharmSource Report Says Bio/Pharma Companies Prefer In-House Manufacturing

BioPharm International

Global and generic bio/pharmaceutical companies will continue to prefer in-house manufacturing to outsourcing for the most strategic elements of their businesses, according to a new report Bio/Pharma CapEx Trends 2016 from PharmSource Information Services. In the new report, released on Sept. 27, 2016, PharmaSource says bio/pharma companies have spent over $150 billion for new plant and equipment in the past five years. PharmSource noted that captive capacity remains the largest impediment to faster growth of the contract manufacturing and development industry.

Chinese API makers look to move up the value chain

Eric Palmer / Fierce Pharma

China’s pharma industry is best known for being the low-cost generic API producer to the world. But companies there, large and small, are looking for ways to move up the value chain, including doing deals targeted at the U.S. market.

A pair of biotech IPOs line up: Myovant and Ra Pharma

Stacy Lawrence / Fierce Biotech

The fall IPO filings are ramping up with two biotechs lining up to go out. These include an up to $172.5 million offering for the recently formed women’s health player Myovant Sciences and an up to $86.3 million IPO for rare disease company Ra Pharmaceuticals. The former is aiming for a NYSE listing, while the latter is slated for the Nasdaq.

Pharma industry should take a page from airline social media mavens, consultant says

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

Airlines are known for their quick and effective social media responses, often helping stranded and annoyed passengers in real time. But while pharma companies can’t solve problems instantly with a reroute or seat change, they can definitely look to airline’s social media savvy for inspiration, one industry consultant says.

Market for overdose fixes tied up as epidemic rages: analyst

Randy Osborne / BioWorld

Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week closed Friday, but intense talks around the topic and related drug development haven't stopped – and probably won't anytime soon.

In China, when the going gets tough, the tough go local

Shannon Ellis / BioWorld

Increasingly in China, innovation is meant to be a local game to create local champions, and foreign firms are lining up to find ways to be a part of the action, both big and small.