01-Dec-14 The top 20 pharmaceutical companies are developing 327 products for developing countries - yet only five of them account for more than half of these: Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, AbbVie and Sanofi. [image: Access to medicine index]

26-Nov-14 China plans to scrap retail price caps on all drugs as early as the start of 2015, giving market forces a larger role in an industry where price controls have contributed to supply shortages. A recent crackdown on high prices pushed some Chinese firms out of business and forced global drug-makers to rethink their China strategy. [image: My Jungle Blog]

23-Nov-14 A Chinese health official has said that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) will take a bigger role in medical reform in future as it has certain advantages in both prevention and care. In 2013, China’s TCM output was over USD91 billion, one third of the country’s medicine industry. [image: China Daily Europe]

17-Nov-14 Novartis researchers are seeking fresh technologies to monitor how the company’s medicines are working and being taken by patients. Chief Executive Joe Jimenez predicts this will be an integral part of running a big pharmaceutical company in the coming decade, thanks to rising demand coupled with limited budgets.

10-Nov-14 At a recent Bio Taiwan Commission meeting, it was announced that the government plans to cultivate at least two flagship medical equipment firms on the island. Each company is hoped to generate revenues over USD330 million. The government also wants to shape Taiwan into a clinical trial hub for Asia. [image: CENS]