03-Jul-15 Despite China's ambitions for its pharmaceutical sector, it is likely to continue to depend on contributions from foreign companies for some time. Investment by big pharma companies in R&D in China is still in the early stages, but it, alongside other emerging world regions, holds out hope for reducing costs, market expansion, and reconfiguring the global drug development model. [image: Zhang Chengliang / China Daily]

28-Jun-15 As part of the Make in India strategy, India's government plans to set up a INR5 bn (USD79 mn) fund to boost the domestic pharma industry and provide cheaper loans for manufacturing. It is also considering single window clearance for drug approvals, to help rejuvenate the local pharma sector and make medicines more affordable. [image: ET Healthworld]

18-Jun-15 Merck's Russian expansion drive remains unaltered, its top executives say, despite a looming recession, a state localization drive, and deteriorating relations with the West. Merck is increasing headcount and expects to improve on its EUR150 mn sales of 2014. "It is crucial to capture the niche markets," said Jurgen Konig, head of Merck in Russia. [image: Armin Kübelbeck / Wikicommons]

11-Jun-15 Singapore-based private equity firm Quadria Capital has raised USD304 million for healthcare investments in Asia. Managing partner Abrar Mir told reporters that two-thirds of the fund will be used for investments in Southeast Asia, while the remaining one-third will go to investments in South Asia. [image: Quadria Capital / AsiaOne Business]

27-May-15 China's drug regulator (CFDA) has raised steeply the fees required to register drugs and medical devices in the world's second-biggest pharmaceutical market, as a lack of resources and expertise hinders its ability to process the rising number of applications. The fee for registering a new locally-made drug will soar to RMB624,000 (USD101,000) compared with just RMB35,000 in 2013. [image: Pharma Logic Solutions].