UK life science competitiveness indicators 2022: measuring what matters most?
The latest life science competitiveness indicators (LSCIs) were published by the Office of Life Sciences (OLS) in July 2022. The indicators did not bring universal […]
Views & Analysis
Digital health’s rapid growth spurt comes home to roost
With fears of a recession and inflation running high, the boom period for digital health apps looks to be waning. In this article, Ben Hargreaves […]
Why reshoring drug production means embracing continuous manufacturing
Recent history should have the pharmaceutical industry questioning some of its fundamental assumptions. The COVID-19 pandemic led to skyrocketing demand for some products while simultaneously […]
Challenges and opportunities in the off-patent sector: the pharmaphorum podcast
In the newest episode of the pharmaphorum podcast, editor-in-chief Jonah Comstock welcomes Rebecca Guntern, vice president of medicines for Europe at Sandoz. Rebecca speaks about […]
How Pharmacogenomics may finally realise its promise
More than 60 percent of all American adults take prescription drugs, amounting to approximately 131 million individuals. These drugs have been rigorously tested by regulatory […]
AI tissue analysis enables rapid discovery of drug candidates
AI could address the most significant issue in drug discovery, finds Ben Hargreaves, and also offers the potential to use tissue samples to create precision […]
Living the life of a type 2 diabetes patient for a day
Mark Doyle, co-founder of The Method and creator of the A Life in a Day programme, tells us about the immersive experience he and his […]
Traditional approaches to growth in biopharma are no longer sustainable
Over the past 15 years, more than 60% of asset growth among the top 30 biopharma companies came from acquisitions. Such inorganic growth is no […]
Realising the promise of genomic testing across oncology
Unlocking the secrets of the human genome has long been an ambitious pursuit for researchers around the world. Over the past two decades, innovative research […]
How can the pharma industry address the gap in talent recruitment and development?
Across the economy, several industries have seen a significant increase in staff turnover due to several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout, and increasing demand […]
Connecting EHR to clinical trials: How to embrace the promise of real-world data
We all know that real-world data (RWD) from electronic health records (EHR) could boost clinical trial efficiency and improve patient outcomes – so what’s holding […]
The power of reflection
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional, and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Global comparator data signal “alarm bells” for UK Government, says APBI
Latest UK Life Sciences Competitive Indicators “ought to ring alarm bells across Government,” says ABPI. Despite the UK’s potential as an international life sciences leader, […]
Realising the promise of cancer vaccines
For years, the promise of therapeutic cancer vaccines has intrigued researchers working in the oncology space. And for good reason. The concept of pre-emptively training […]
The continued search for a cure to HIV
Not very long ago, contracting HIV was an effective death sentence; today, there are treatments that allow the condition to be managed but not eradicated. […]
The new European Unitary Patent system – What you need to know
The proposed European unitary patent and unified patent court represents one of the largest changes to the European patent system in a generation. It will […]
As FDA inspections return, upholding compliance and maintaining GMP readiness is more crucial than ever
The pharmaceutical industry has long been highly regulated to help ensure quality and safety across all aspects of its business. However, many firms were hit […]
The big squeeze?
With NHS England highlighting savings of £1.2 billion on medicines in three years coming from both deals on generics and new innovative treatments, Leela Barham […]
Engaging change: Connecting patients and regulators can move the dial on drug development
Face-to-face discussion educates regulators on what matters most to patients, and guides future decision-making. Regulators are increasingly asking drug developers to include the patient voice […]
CanSinoBIO developed a highly effective COVID vaccine with an inhalant version
Pierre A. Morgon, PharmD, LL.M, MBA, managing director at CanSino Biologics Europe, tells us about Convidecia, a single dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine offered as an injectable […]
Preventing the next pandemic: Infrastructure and global equity
In the final piece of a three-part series, Ben Hargreaves explores how manufacturing infrastructure was rapidly built up to the required capacity to ensure sufficient […]
Making data work by delivering relevant content to HCPs
Healthcare providers (HCPs) are facing a digital deluge and successive studies reveal that most messaging gets lost in the flood. The torrent of ill-directed communication […]
Pharma’s post-COVID opportunity to improve patient outcomes
The immediate threat to patient care from COVID-19 has diminished with the passing of the acute phase of the pandemic, but its impact continues to […]
For neurological disease, solving measurement is the first and biggest hurdle to re-imagining treatment
Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s affect millions of people worldwide, and their prevalence is only increasing, according to the World Health Organization. And while […]
Digital tools driving innovative clinical trials
The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed significant changes in the way pharma develops drugs, particularly in the clinical trial space. Hybrid or decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) […]
Preventing the next pandemic: Supporting early-stage R&D
In the second of a three-part series, Ben Hargreaves looks at the importance of early-stage research into various emerging infectious disease threats and how it […]
Deep Dive: Oncology 2022
Eradicating cancer is an ambitious goal for oncologists and life science companies around the world. But, with a growing number of cancer treatments entering the […]
Are timely access and robust safety mutually exclusive?
The FDA approves new cancer treatments in half the time of the EMA – but does faster mean better? And how can regulators balance timely […]
The post-Covid New Normal: a golden opportunity for the NHS?
I recently had the pleasure of attending the PING Conference 2022, which had the tagline of ‘The Golden Age for Life Sciences Innovation’. In part, […]
Ensuring successful digital outreach and retention in atopic dermatitis trials
Trial organisers face intense competition to find and recruit eligible patients for atopic dermatitis studies. With more than 500 dermatology clinical trials currently underway, it […]
StartUp Health takes a multidisciplinary approach to fight type 1 diabetes
David Weingard, chief impact officer of T1D Moonshot and founder of Cecelia Health, tells us how T1D Moonshot aims to break silos and advance type […]
Medical Informatics and Rare Disease: a bridge between two worlds
Today’s rare disease landscape comprises of around 7,000 different diseases. With a broad and diverse range of symptoms and severities impacting patients around the world, […]
From trial design for patients to trial design with patients: a key topic at DIA ’22
At the 2022 Drug Information Association (DIA) annual meeting last week, it was inspiring to connect with fellow research and development (R&D) stakeholders, regulators, health […]
Pharma’s post-pandemic launch performance problem: what’s the prognosis?
The prescription medicine market has recovered from the wild swings of the early pandemic with renewed growth. COVID vaccines and treatments have created a substantial […]
Preventing the next pandemic: Learning the lessons
In the first of a three part series, Ben Hargreaves looks at what the odds are of another pandemic arising in our lifetimes and what […]
How the US’s pending PIE Act will improve patient access to medication
Jennifer Mathieu, director of government relations at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), tells us why the organisation backed the pre-approval information exchange (PIE) […]
New countries stockpile antiviral TPOXX as monkeypox outbreak continues
pharmaphorum editor in chief Jonah Comstock talks to Philip Gomez, CEO of Siga Technologies, about how his company’s antiviral drug can play a crucial role […]
US frets over pharma supply chain security
The pandemic highlighted how fragile the global manufacturing network is, as supply of certain products was limited and regulatory inspections became difficult to carry out. […]
ICSs: improving patient and market access at a local level
Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) – 42 partnerships of health and care organisations who will plan and deliver more joined-up services for their locality in England […]
Evaluate’s Orphan Drug Report 2022
Paul Verdin, VP of consulting and analytics, and Andreas Hadjivasiliou, managing analyst at Evaluate, tell us about the company’s Orphan Drug Report 2022, which highlights […]
Six months after authorization, what do we know about Paxlovid?
It has now been over six months since the FDA authorized Paxlovid in December 2021 “for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric […]
Time is motor neurons – the importance of newborn screening in SMA
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a lack of a functional SMN1 gene that results in the progressive and […]
Questions linger as England’s Innovative Medicines Fund kicks off
In part one of this two-article series on the latest on England’s Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF), Leela Barham examined what the IMF is and what […]
England’s Innovative Medicines Fund hits another milestone
Leela Barham takes a look at the latest milestone on what will have been a close to three-year journey to an Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF) […]
FDA’s treatment of China-developed drugs spurs demands for multiregional clinical trials
China’s emergence as an R&D powerhouse means that the country is quickly adding a number of drug candidates to the global pipeline. Despite more treatment […]
Appreciating pharmacists’ role in healthcare
Parisa “Risa” Vatanka, PharmD, CTTS, senior director of corporate alliances at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), tells us about the ideal role of pharmacists in […]
How digital is transforming the commercial leader’s role in biopharma
Pharma’s evolving role in patient care The digital revolution has already reshaped the commercial engine of biopharma companies. Pharma’s digital initiatives now routinely enable new […]
Is it time to rethink electronic prescribing in the US?
It is a fact of life that most – if not all – patients will require some form of prescription medication during their lifetime. Generally, […]
Digital therapeutics gaining traction in the market
Digital health funding has grown exponentially over the last few years and fuelled significant investment. Payers, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients recognise the positive impact […]
Combating antimicrobial resistance with a viable alternative to traditional antibiotics
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an issue of global concern, killing roughly 1.2 million1 people per year and projected to rise to 10 million people by […]
Combination pricing: access to the future of oncology treatment relies on collaboration
Combination therapies are fast becoming the cornerstone of cancer treatment: not just in the UK, but across the world. With strong evidence to support how […]
Redefining the approach to cancer care – a mission to improve patient outcomes
Each year across Europe, 3.7 million people are diagnosed with a form of cancer, resulting in 1.9 million deaths, making cancer the second largest cause […]
How celebrity investor Mark Cuban is tackling out-of-control drug prices
American entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban tells us why he and his partners launched the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC), a public-benefit corporation […]
Orphan drugs’ financial success raises questions
R&D into orphan drugs is growing alongside the number of approved treatments, providing treatments for rare diseases that previously did not have any. However, Ben […]
Closing the digital expectation gap in pharma
Jan Deman is Takeda’s head of digital customer experience for Europe and Canada. But he’d prefer not to refer to what he does as “innovation”. […]
ASCO ’22 preview: Putting patients first
For the first time since 2019, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting will be an in-person conference. We’re excited to re-connect with […]
The value of diverse patient representation and engagement in cancer treatment
To improve outcomes for cancer patients and take advantage of the ground-breaking scientific and technological progress made in oncology prevention, diagnosis, therapy and care over […]
How do we make patient centricity a reality?
For years, the subject of fostering direct connections with patients has been highlighted by notable figures across the healthcare and life sciences industries as a […]
Using technology to reassess the clinical trial landscape
Josh Sackman, president and co-founder of AppliedVR, and Web Sun, president and co-founder of Komodo Health, relay how their newly formed collaboration reshapes the clinical […]
At ESMO, three studies show promise of antibody-drug conjugates in breast cancer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, conference is just around the corner, but one subgroup of cancer researchers just had their own gathering, […]
Next generation coaching
Capturing an audience is a critical task. Doing that in a wind tunnel of multi-channel white noise requires a special brand of cut-through. The standard […]
Can technology help diversify clinical trials?
This is the second in a two-part series examining how pharma can embrace the DEI agenda to create more effective medicines through more representative clinical […]
Leveraging KOL insights to succeed in a data-driven world
For years, key opinion leaders (KOLs) have held a position of authority and respect amongst those working across the life science industry, be it a […]
Why are clinical trials struggling with diversity?
In the diverse world we live in, the products we produce, the services we create and the places we work should be as equally representative. […]
Top 5 takeaways from international hybrid and virtual meeting guidance for pharma
The move to online international meetings has left pharma companies with uncertainty around contact compliance. But new joint guidance, from the IFPMA, EFPIA, and PhRMA, […]
Taking patient engagement efforts beyond box-ticking
Most pharma and biopharma executives agree the patient voice should be at the centre of everything they do. But for many, it is a prospect […]
Rethinking value: why diverse viewpoints matter
Value is a tricky concept to capture accurately. Given the diverse and complex world that we live in, different people will often hold contrasting views […]
Find your inner data and take precision marketing to the next level
Data is the powerhouse of the pharmaceutical sector. It powers drug discovery, clinical trials, and operational performance. But sizeable reservoirs of data remain unseen and […]
What does good cybersecurity look like in 2022?
The pharma industry is becoming an increasingly hot commodity for cybercriminals. In recent years, digital adoption has accelerated at a rapid pace, with companies racing […]
Joined up thinking needed for joined up data plans
Joined up data could transform the pharmaceutical industry and help create a healthier Europe for decades to come – but the route to change is […]
Unlocking the potential of healthcare data in research
Health data research in the UK is rapidly evolving, with new capabilities emerging through the rise of hybrid engagement and the accelerated adoption of digital […]
Recent advances in neurological disorders
Considerable scientific progress across neurological diseases and disorders was reported at the recent 74th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting. What may be important […]
Do pharmaceutical businesses need to rethink what their graduate schemes offer?
As the world and the UK continues its march out of the pandemic’s shadow, the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector has been squarely in the […]
Adding value through coaching
Strategic coaching is bringing rewards across pharma as the industry adjusts to post-pandemic practices and challenges. Field forces are being realigned, business development re-focussed and […]
USAID on expanding digital health globally – part one
Adele Waugaman, senior digital health coordinator of the COVID-19 response at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), tells us what the agency focuses […]
Pfizer: Pharma needs a business strategy for a digital world
The unprecedented rate of digital acceleration seen in the first two years of COVID-19 has set in train an age of digital transformation. In my […]
A crisis of trust: How lack of sector confidence is threating patient centricity
People who trust pharma are more interested in using the industry’s services – making building confidence in the sector key to realising the potential of […]
Healthcare communication and how it’s changing
Engaging, strategic, customer-centric communication is important in any industry, and no industry has been unaffected by the changing world of digital communication. But healthcare communicators […]
SparkRx: The first digital therapeutic for adolescents
Mental health issues among teens and young adults have risen dramatically over the past decade. Jessica Lake, chief science officer at Limbix, tells us about […]
Deep Dive: Market Access
For life science companies around the world, enabling faster access to innovative drugs and therapies is a complicated challenge. As this issue’s contributors discuss, changes […]
Coaching Feedback
Preparation and practice are potent forces in sales but they form a golden triangle when combined with feedback. Shaping performance with guidance elevates coaching to […]
To increase clinical trial diversity, build trust in communities and use tech wisely
After a long period of not much change, clinical trials are undergoing several massive shifts. At the American Telemedicine Association conference in Boston this week, […]
How patient-on-a-chip tech could be the future of drug discovery
Testing drug compounds on a chip designed to mimic human organs sounds closer to science fiction than reality, yet the technology already exists and is […]
15 tips to (not) frustrate the heck out of your team
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Big pharma vs small diseases: Tackling rare diseases
Rare diseases aren’t as rare as the appellation suggests. For instance, according to the US Government Accountability Office, 30 million Americans have a rare disease, […]
Transparency, social change can help pharma regain the public’s trust
Trust in life science companies has fluctuated since the start of the pandemic. The reputation of COVID-19 vaccine makers understandably soared early on, as clinical […]
Omnichannel Benchmarking: a new era of HCP engagement
As the landscape of healthcare changes, so too must the way that we interpret and measure performance and success. This is particularly evident in marketing. […]
Understanding the microbiome as an ‘overlooked critical organ’
Compared to a ‘critical organ’ that had been largely ignored, companies working to develop microbiome-based therapies believe there is untapped potential in the area. Ben […]
Achieving diversity, equity and inclusion in clinical trials
Making sure clinical trials are diverse and representative of the populations they’re studying isn’t just the right thing to do to promote inclusivity and equity; […]
Partnering to advance digital therapeutics offerings
Aaron Gani, founder and CEO of BehaVR, and Krys Zaluski, director of business development, digital health at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, discuss their groundbreaking partnership to […]
Engagement to partnership: The changing face of patient involvement
The era of patient engagement is over. Instead, it’s time to move towards true partnership at every step of the pharma value chain, from R&D […]
CRISPR therapies targeting the next breakthrough in oncology
The potential of CRISPR technology has been a hot topic in the industry ever since it was first developed, but as trials progress further into […]
How to identify and engage with digital opinion leaders
The industry has long sought the insight and advice of revered, influential figures. Typically, these key opinion leaders (KOLs) are researchers, physicians, or other healthcare […]
Breaking into the global pharmaceutical market
In 2022, pharma is truly a global industry, and innovation can come from anywhere. But for small life sciences outside of the USA and Europe, […]
The largest pharma company in Europe calls for interoperability
Ehab Youssef, area head of Europe North at Roche Pharmaceuticals, tells us why European countries need interoperability to ensure a more effective overall European healthcare […]
Independent health comms agencies rebrand with emphasis on authenticity
In a world of a million messages, should authenticity be the common thread tying all pharma communications and marketing activities together? Authentic, knowledgeable communications designed […]
The value of coaching as part of an organisation’s DNA
Training can be a bore; dull, predictable sessions shoe-horned into the diary when a meeting room is available or via a virtual session full of […]
Emerging technologies that are changing the way healthcare is delivered in 2022
Wherever you consider the medical industry, you will find several new technologies being used to make new medicines, vaccines, and fight illnesses. The purpose is […]
Study finds unexpected prescription influencers in healthcare
Cate Evans, SVP group director, strategy at Havas Media Group, and Nick Lapolla, research director at MedSurvey tell us about a two-phase research study the […]
Digital investment promises to accelerate the use of wearable sensor data in clinical trials
In an interview with Dudley Tabakin (CEO, VivoSense), Chris Garabedian (CEO, Xontogeny) and Tanja Dowe (CEO, Debiopharm Innovation Fund), pharmaphorum discusses the recent announcement of […]
Innovation across the healthcare system is needed to realise the value of medicines
Janssen’s Catherine Taylor, vice-president, EMEA medical affairs, therapy area strategy, discusses the importance of systemic innovation across the healthcare system to realise the full value […]
Medical Informatics: a bridge between two worlds
With more than 6,000 different diseases comprising the rare disease (RD) landscape, connecting patients and practitioners with the expertise needed to achieve the correct diagnosis […]
Health Innovators – Amy Bucher
pharmaphorum editor in chief Jonah Comstock takes on the Health Innovators series with a conversation with Amy Bucher, vice president of behavioural design at Lirio […]
Game-based therapies and the attraction of engaging patients
Ensuring that patients remain consistent with their therapies is one of the major challenges facing healthcare, so what if you could make treatment a game? […]
Why VCs fell in love with pharma R&D in 2021
For many years, those inside the pharma industry have been telling the same old story about innovation: pharma is big, slow, and risk averse. Start-ups […]
Upskilling in a digital health world
It’s no secret that digital technologies are playing a significant role when it comes to shaping the next era of healthcare. Necessity accelerated the adoption […]
NIH funds study to evaluate long-term COVID in children
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a nationwide study in the US to support research on long-COVID, chronic COVID, or as it’s scientifically […]
ICSs – an opportunity to improve Patient & Market Access at a local level
With the new Health and Care Bill edging ever closer to receiving Royal Assent, life sciences companies in the UK are preparing to navigate the […]
Five things to watch as the Biosimilars market heats up in 2022
As pressure mounts on the U.S. Congress and the White House to curtail prescription drug prices, many experts continue to point to biosimilars and their […]
Coaching Consistency
Leading tennis players train two to three hours a day to prepare for tournaments and have daily coaching input to make them game ready. It’s […]
A data company is cementing its place in medical XR
Rani Aravamudhan, MD, senior clinical consultant, and Jason Elliott, head of employer client experiences at Health Data & Management Solutions (HDMS), tell us how the […]
Does the answer to advancing rare disease treatment lie in real-world data?
What do 300 million people have in common? They are living with rare diseases that are defined by their scarcity within the general population. In […]
Big pharma companies partner to form AI-based start-up
Israel-based AION Labs and German independent research institute BioMed X announced its third global call for applications to form a new start-up company focused on […]
The efficacy of Mental Health Apps
In January, PLOS Digital Health published a study which claimed that there’s “sparse” data to support the efficacy of most mental health apps. In their […]
Big data and how it can change the game in pharma: the pharmaphorum podcast
In the latest episode of the pharmaphorum podcast, editor in chief Jonah Comstock speaks with Miruna Sasu, chief strategy officer of COTA and long-time pharma […]
AI tool helps detect leprosy using pictures
Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation, tells us about AI4Leprosy, a diagnostic assistant researchers developed that helps healthcare workers detect leprosy with over 90% […]
Is your digital communication strategy up to par?
Whether you’re a large pharma company or a small, emerging one, communication is key. Success or failure hinges on communicating the advantages of your offerings […]
Government pledges to work with industry to make UK a genomics leader
With initiatives like The 100,000 Genome Project, the UK has led the world on genomic research. In a bid to maintain that position, the governments […]
New Era: New Skills
The world is re-balancing but the pharmaceutical industry’s engagement with HCPs has been tilted on its axis sending time-honoured engagement tactics into disarray. Face-to-face opportunities […]
Using cross-functional teams to develop a product’s value story
Tanya Brinsden, senior VP of operations at ICON Global Medical Communications and Pubs Hub, Jessica Cherian, VP of content and strategic services at ICON Market […]
Virtual and augmented reality: Bringing the future to pharma manufacturing
Virtual and augmented reality tools have reached a level of maturity to be utilised across various industries. In this article, Ben Hargreaves asks whether there […]
The Digital Health Start-up Journey: Series A to scale-up
Although resources exist for digital health entrepreneurs looking to raise their first key investment round, industry advice on next steps is harder to find. The […]
IVRHA 2022: Exhibiting pioneers of medical XR
The International Virtual Reality Healthcare Association (IVRHA) held its 6th annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, showcasing medical extended reality (XR) experiences and the companies impacting […]
Think global, act local: rethinking commercialisation models
The global market for life sciences is changing rapidly. Fuelled by technological advancements and a global pandemic, there are more opportunities than ever for companies […]
Will people be left behind by the digital health revolution?
The uptake of digital health tools during the pandemic has been enormous due to improved access they provide to healthcare. In this article, Ben Hargreaves […]
Disrupted medical conferences: 2022 and beyond
How to make it in the new normal Part 1 of this article discussed the massive disruptions to medical events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Amplifying the voices in rare diseases
There are approximately 300 million people around the world living with a rare disease. Yet, until relatively recently, there was limited focus on this heterogenous […]
Disrupted medical conferences: Lessons learnt
The new normal is already here. Get used to it. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically disrupted traditional medical society conferences in a way that could […]
From healthcare to human care: Shaping a healthier society
Janssen’s Roz Bekker, VP Commercial Strategy for Infectious Diseases & Vaccines at Janssen EMEA, looks at how COVID-19 has reinforced the value of connecting with […]
Does the pandemic mark a turning point in vaccine development?
After a period where vaccine development had fallen away, suddenly it is back in the limelight. Investment has flowed back into the sector and Ben […]
Investing in biologics excellence
In little over three decades, advances in biotechnology have noticeably disrupted the development landscape of small molecule drugs. Yet, despite the immense potential of the […]
Taking responsibility for changing lives: Sharing data and accelerating access
Is open, responsible research the key to translating quality science into clinical benefit as quickly as possible? We ask the AMRC’s new CEO, Nicola Perrin. […]
IWD: Spotlight on women in life sciences
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we speak to design engineer at Envair Technology Darina Shopova; managing director, UK & ROI at Healthcare Business of Merck […]
WHO announces international hub for mRNA vaccine training
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the opening of a global biomanufacturing hub located in South Korea to provide training to low- and middle-income countries […]
Switch on to The Age of Coaching
The pharmaceutical industry is still picking its way through the debris of the pandemic but the gloom can be illuminated by the power of coaching […]
Consumers want convenient, online doctor-finding tools
New survey data from Press Ganey suggests that pharma may be able to get an edge by integrating physician directories into brand websites. When it […]
One year on: How is the UK’s vision of a future-proof research environment shaping up?
One year ago, a UK-wide vision for the country’s future research landscape promised streamlined processes, and a patient-centred, competitive environment. But how far have we […]
Can psychedelics provide breakthrough in mental health?
There is a growing pipeline of psychedelic therapies and an expanding body of science to suggest that they may be able to provide an alternative […]
Are Apple’s healthcare ambitions too broad?
Apple pledged to make a giant impact in the healthcare industry, but Susan Lang, founder and CEO of XIL Health, says its focus on changing […]
Rare Disease R&D: one step forward, but a long road ahead
With over 40% of all medicines in the pipeline aimed at rare diseases, the future looks positive for increasing the number of treatments available. However, […]
To help solve patient distrust in pharma, industry collaboration is key
The past two years have shone a spotlight on the UK life sciences industry. Pharma companies are now household names, having been thrust into the […]
Deep Dive: Research and Development
Fuelled by advancements in technology and computing, R&D in life sciences is undergoing a fundamental transformation that puts patients at the heart of research. Read […]
Coalition issues rallying cry to takes the fight against AMR to the front line
Team up, wake up, and act before AMR turns back the clock on medical advances, say the cross-sector team behind the Infection Management Coalition. It’s […]
Biosimilars: a rapidly maturing market
Adoption of biosimilars in the US has been notoriously slow, but biosimilars manufacturers and outside observers expect this to change rapidly in the coming years. […]
Your roadmap to getting the most out of meetings
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Examining COVID’s impact on clinical research participant diversity
The clinical research industry has long struggled with participant diversity. One study found that only 5% of Black or Asian United Kingdom residents had ever […]
Collaborative approach to closing the digital health gap is needed
The pandemic-induced transition to digital health is, according to the Nuffield Trust, contributing to an “inverse care law” that’s compounding existing health inequalities. But, as […]
Accelerating patient engagement in the digital health era
Understanding the person behind the patient is a crucial part of medicine, one that healthcare providers can use to improve the efficacy of treatments. At […]
New HIV variant highlights the importance of monitoring virus mutations
Researchers discovered a highly virulent variant of HIV in the Netherlands that genetic sequence analysis suggests has been circulating since the 1990s. Approximately 38 million […]
Pushing the right buttons for transformative digital health
Digital health and technologies offer a wealth of opportunities, but digital needs to become part of a company’s DNA to achieve transformation. Rodamni Peppa, Boston […]
Pharma’s digital inflection point
Billed as the world’s most influential technology event, this year’s CES show saw its first ever keynote from a healthcare company when Abbott CEO Robert […]
Why was R&D productivity up in 2021?
A recent report has found that R&D productivity rose vertiginously during 2021, but how much of this was organic and how much can be attributed […]
Empowering rare disease patient advocacy organisations with data
Komodo Health’s president and co-founder, Web Sun, tells us about his company’s new partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to improve early diagnosis and […]
Powered by digital: driving transformation and innovation in healthcare
Digital health is transforming the way that we approach healthcare, but how can companies make the most of this new multi-channel engagement model? Dr Paul […]
Do skills gaps and the COVID brain drain threaten digital transformation?
With staff shortages and digital skill gaps being experienced across the spectrum of healthcare, from CROs and pharma to providers, the people-led sector is facing […]
Digital health: making medicine more human
Covid-19 has lit a fire under the medical industry, driving them to re-evaluate and incorporate digital engagement models. Now, healthcare companies have a unique opportunity […]
Importance of diversity in pharma and clinical trials
“Diversity.” It’s a word that is very commonly thrown around right now, not just in pharma and healthcare but across all industries. No matter which […]
Bridging the pharma-startup gap with PharmStars, a new accelerator programme
From remote monitoring tech to enable clinical trials, to AI for drug discovery, to digital therapeutics and drugs with companion apps, digital innovation has the […]
How does rare disease prevalence impact drug pricing in England?
In this second article of a three-part series exploring pricing in Europe, CRA’s Life Sciences Practice team discusses the role that disease rarity plays in […]
Twelve simple ways to get ahead of acute stress
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Assumptions to evidence: How NINR project is solidifying UK’s remote trial know how
Remote, virtual, or decentralised clinical trials are nothing new, but COVID-19 catapulted the model into the mainstream. Now, as the sector settles back into something […]
Optimised clinical research through decentralised trials
Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic bring lockdown rules and increased safety protocols, it also led to delays, reconfigurations, limited patient access, and other restrictions […]
Addressing the UK digital skills gap
Over the past two years, life sciences media has been flooded with headlines about the rise of digital health systems. The sudden arrival of COVID-19 […]
Digital innovation drives vaccine development
It is becoming increasingly important for people all over the world to understand the importance of vaccines and to have access to the vaccines they […]
How can marketing teams and healthcare agencies partner up for modular content?
Creating personalised, compliant content is becoming increasingly important for life science companies as HCPs demand more from their digital content. Pharma companies created 3.5 times […]
Making sense of differing digital health funding reports
Digital health venture funding had a ridiculous, bonkers, blockbuster year. On this, everyone can agree, although longtime watchers of the industry will remember that we’ve […]
Applied Virtual Reality in Healthcare: A comprehensive book on medical XR
Walter Greenleaf, PhD, neuroscientist and digital health expert at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, tells us about the new book Applied Virtual Reality in Healthcare: […]
A multi-platform approach: the future of patient services
Andy Graves and Dr Clare Moloney of IQVIA discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital patient services and how future deployment alongside […]
US vs EU: How can Europe translate home-grown innovation into biotech success?
We have seen a boom in biotech initial public offerings over the last two years, but many of Europe’s offerings have migrated to the United […]
Utilising real-time data to improve customer engagement
Oskar Möbert, Vice President OpenData Europe at Veeva Systems, tells us how they are reimagining customer reference data to boost pharma rep productivity, enable more […]
Digital therapeutics: a new frontier of medicine
The area of digital therapeutics is growing rapidly, and in this piece Ben Hargreaves examines why this is the case, how broadly these therapies can […]
Understanding the prevention and treatment needs for cardiovascular disease
What does the current picture of cardiovascular disease in Europe look like? Surprisingly for many, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is Europe’s leading cause of death – […]
Chronic kidney disease: treating a silent killer
In November, NICE backed NHS use of AstraZeneca’s diabetes and heart failure drug Forxiga for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. pharmaphorum caught up with […]
Oslo Medicines Initiative asks how to balance innovation incentivisation with security of access
Access to medicines is “one of the most challenging policy areas in every country in the European region” – it’s time to develop a solution […]
Content metrics help generate compelling communication
Companies seek efficiency and speed to market during the content creation process, review and approval cycles, and thus the collective time for content to be […]
The rise, acceleration and acceptance of telehealth adoption
‘Healing at a distance’ is the literal meaning of telemedicine. According to the World Health Organization, it is defined as the use of ICT to […]
Don’t be afraid to change
The digital revolution generated by the pandemic fractured lines of connection and severed the life-blood of being able to meet with clinicians for sales teams […]
CVS Health and Microsoft alliance: an example of an extended partnership
Microsoft and CVS Health have announced a new strategic alliance focusing on personalised care and accelerating digital transformation for the benefit of CVS customers and […]
Targeted agents and immunotherapies
Targeted agents and immunotherapies are two of the most promising areas for significant advancements in cancer treatment. Envision Pharma’s scientific solutions division lead Rebecca Goldstein, […]
Decentralised trials: beyond the pandemic
The adoption of decentralised activities was a major factor in allowing clinical trials to continue during the early stages of the pandemic. Ben Hargreaves examines […]
Cutting through the Noise
The pandemic has given us a surge of opportunities to take fresh looks at how we live, work and play with huge changes of pace […]
What HCPs think about mandatory vaccination
What HCPs think about mandatory vaccination The practice of making vaccinations mandatory within a population has always been controversial. Historically, the first example of this […]
Beyond the pandemic: the potential of mRNA technology
The arrival of COVID-19 brought precious few positives, but one that emerged for the pharmaceutical industry was the emergence and validation of mRNA vaccine technology […]
Putting patient perspectives at the heart of kidney cancer research
Kidney cancer is the 14th most common cancer, with approximately 400,000 new cases worldwide every year. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is by far the most […]
Digital health innovation in 2022: Anticipating healthcare trends ahead of the J.P. Morgan week
We spoke with Tanja Dowe, ahead of the annual J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference 2022, about radical innovation in healthcare, including the potential of digital […]
Nine for 2022: innovation and opportunities in healthcare
In the second part of our examination of issues that will shape the course of 2022, we’ll update the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, which […]
Nine for 2022: International issues that are compelling, new or changed in 2022
The year 2020 ended on a note of hope, with the 8th December vaccination of 91-year-old Margaret Keenan, the world’s first person to receive a […]
AI providing the edge against cancer?
The global R&D pipeline is dominated by potential treatments in oncology and this is also where the investment is flowing. This doesn’t look like changing […]
Insights from the WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health event
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently held a virtual panel discussion during Digital Health Week with speakers from around the world to talk about global […]
The Considered pharmaceutical marketing experiment
COVID-19 has changed everything – at least that’s David Hunt’s plan for pharmaceutical marketing. The former CEO of Havas Lynx recently launched a new agency […]
Creating an effective patient engagement set of practices that is enduring and future-proof
For the past ten years we’ve seen a steady acceptance of the need for patient engagement practises to become routine and integrated into all systems […]
2021 in review: Building the framework of a patient-centric industry
Patient centricity and patient engagement have been hot topics in pharma for some time – but buzz words do not always translate into concrete action. […]
Building internal strength
Creating certainty in a landscape still convulsed by the pandemic is a lofty ambition, but pharma companies can use the disruption to develop positive internal […]
Drug development and working with specialised Rare Disease networks
There are currently an estimated 300 million people living with one or more Rare Diseases across the world. There are over 7,000 Rare Diseases that […]
Leveraging augmented analytics to drive better business decisions
In early 2020, health officials were cautious about forecasting a COVID-19 vaccine timeline to the public, as vaccine discovery was a historically laborious process that […]
Focussing on pharma’s blind spot
Industry’s free pass to its target audience has been shredded by the pandemic leaving the sales force compass struggling to find effective routes. It has […]
Deep Dive: Digital Health 2021
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adopt of digital health. As this issue’s contributors discuss, the rapid transition to digital […]
Patient engagement processes: the pharmaphorum podcast
This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is the second in a limited series focused on patient engagement that’s being led by clinician, consultant and patient […]
Digital Innovators: Wellthy Therapeutics’ Abhishek Shah
Dr Paul Tunnah, pharmaphorum’s founder, continues his Frontiers Health Digital Innovator’s series by joining CEO Abhishek Shah live at Frontiers Health conference in Milan. According […]
From patient engagement to patient centricity
Words matter. In the pharma industry, “patient engagement” and “patient centricity” might seem like interchangeable bits of corporate jargon. But the difference between them is […]
2021: the year mRNA therapeutics came of age
It started with two Covid-19 vaccines – 2021 is the year interest in mRNA therapeutics boomed, reports Katrina Megget The Covid-19 pandemic showed what could […]
Frontiers Health Digital Innovators: Orion Pharma’s Sammeli Likkanen
pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, continues his Frontiers Health Digital Innovators series by speaking with Orion Pharma’s director of digital medicine Sammeli Likkanen. Live from […]
Post-Brexit medicines regulation must have international scope
Post-pandemic, post-Brexit Britain must create a regulatory framework that both defines and aligns with international standards, or risk being left behind. If the UK creates […]
Seizing opportunities with perfectly pitched messages
Personal relationships have been the dominant force in sales for generations but the pandemic has ripped up this conveyer belt of convenience. More than 60% […]
Frontiers Health Digital Innovators: Debiopharm Innovation Fund S.A.’s Tanja Dowe
pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, talks with Debiopharm Innovation Fund’s CEO Tanja Dowe at Frontiers Health as part of his mini series of interviews from […]
Mind the gap: Are you delivering what HCPs value or what you want them to have?
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, life science companies have acted quickly to address the evolving digital needs of healthcare professionals, with mixed success […]
How the combination treatment challenge impacts patients and how we are working together to solve it
How the combination treatment challenge impacts patients Access to medicines attracts a great deal of interest from patients, clinicians, and the public and there have […]
Frontiers Health Digital Innovators: Boston Scientific EMEA’s Rodamni Peppa
pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, meets with Rodamni Peppa, VP business strategy and commercial excellence. Live at the Frontiers Health conference in Milan, Rodamni discusses […]
Recruiting patients to increase diversity & inclusion in clinical trials: one size does not fit all
More so now than ever, the inclusion of more diverse, and often more relevant, study populations is gathering momentum within the clinical trial community. From […]
Practice makes perfect
The seismic shift away from face-to-face meetings caused by the pandemic has given the pharmaceutical industry a fundamental challenge around engaging with clinical staff. Sales […]
Digital health: the new normal?
Personalised and tailored healthcare that utilises patient’s data is rapidly becoming a reality. Ben Hargreaves looks at the concrete steps already being taken by companies […]
The booming life sciences sector needs dynamic real estate support
Bruntwood SciTech is the UK’s leading property provider dedicated to driving the growth of the science and technology sector. UK life sciences are buoyant with […]
How biomarkers and bioanalytics are changing R&D
Biomarkers have been causing a paradigm shift in how HCPs treat patients for some time – now they are bringing the pharma industry a new […]
15 traits of effective bosses and how to catalyse your team
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Health Innovators: Senseonics’ Francine Kaufman
In the most recent of the Health Innovators video series, pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, chats with the chief medical officer of Senseonics. Francine Kaufman […]
Health literacy for the intellectually disabled: is pharma doing enough?
What is health literacy and why is it important? Health literacy (HL), defined by the CDC as the degree to which individuals have the ability […]
Enabling the leaders of the future
Janssen’s Mark Larsen, VP & Head of HR at Janssen EMEA, looks at what COVID-19 has taught us about good leadership and how we develop […]
Leveraging real-world data to meet payers’ needs
Payers are becoming savvier in accepting real-world data. Certara’s Lee Stern and Shawn Bates discuss the challenges and how pharma can use real-world data to […]
Health Innovators: Healthware Group’s Roberto Ascione
pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, continues his Health Innovators video series, in discussion with digital health visionary Roberto Ascione, from Healthware Group. In the first […]
Time for a new model in patient access
Mig Sleeper, vice president, Global Pricing for Astellas Pharma Europe, explains why we must rethink how value is defined as we enter a new technological […]
Reshaping events in pharma
Healthcare professional (HCP) engagement experienced significant shifts during the acute phase of the pandemic, as COVID-19 forced a rethink of traditional pharmaceutical sales and marketing […]
Time to take patient engagement to the next level
Patient engagement in pharma is evolving, with some companies doing it better than others. Envision Pharma Group’s Dawn Lobban and Sarah Avent discuss the need […]
Innovation and collaboration – the MHRA’s pandemic approach
The pandemic has propelled issues for the pharmaceutical industry to the top of the political and public agenda, from clinical trial recruitment to the journey […]
UK-wide whole genome sequencing for newborns is feasible – but there are some key questions to answer first
Genomics England, the Department of Health and Social Care’s genome-sequencing hub, has this year announced that support for whole genome sequencing (WGS) has reached a […]
Patients want to be heard. Is pharma listening?
A common theme heard from the advocacy groups AXON works with is “Nothing for us without us,” says Natalie Turner, director at AXON, a global […]
Three views on technology improving clinical trial efficiency
Marie Emms, vice president of site and patient participation at Syneos Health, tells us technology helped increase patient enrolment, improve diversity and inclusion, and boost […]
Emerging from the shadow of COVID-19
We now have a unique opportunity to re-discover what matters most to patients, says Alnylam’s Kasha Witkos. In the biotech industry, if you are not […]
Novo Nordisk on seeking partnerships to expand its portfolio
Its vast experience in diabetes and the amount of data collected has propelled Novo Nordisk into exploring new modalities and searching for valuable collaborators, according […]
Legal requirement, ethical duty: How to develop compliant, useful lay summaries
New lay summary guidelines walk sponsors through their obligations under EU regulation No. 536/2014, due to come into force in February next year. Patient involvement […]
Consumer health innovation – where passion and science meet
Heather Barnes, external innovation lead EMEA at Johnson and Johnson Consumer Health, is a scientist who is truly passionate about consumer health. With her background […]
Getting better at measuring international uptake of medicines?
In part one of a two-piece series, Leela Barham looks at whether we are getting better at measuring international uptake of medicines. The publication of […]
One world, one health: The interconnected web of antimicrobial resistance
Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires a one health approach that joins the dots between the human, animal, and environmental drivers, consequences, and data. AMR threatens […]
Oncology treatment decisions aren’t just based on clinical data
Once widely acknowledged as so special that only scientists and clinical specialists need to apply, oncology has become exponentially more clinically targeted and sophisticated over […]
Sales coaching: preparing for the new reality in pharma
COVID-19 has been a catalyst for a huge amount of change across the pharmaceutical industry, acting as an accelerant for progress in its use of […]
Leveraging multichannel and multimedia in HCP education
COVID has forced the pharma industry to step up and take a more innovative approach to the channels and content it uses to reach and […]
Janssen on driving R&D innovation with data science
The amount of patient data has skyrocketed, providing opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of diseases that are particularly complex or areas with a high […]
Using bispecific antibodies to advance cancer immunotherapy
Dr Laura Moriarty, senior marketing manager at Bio-Rad, looks at the impressive immuno-therapeutic potential of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs). Bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) are designed to recognise […]
Patient engagement strategies: the pharmaphorum podcast
This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is the first in an occasional series focused on patient engagement that’s being led by Mark Duman, a clinician, […]
Deep Dive: Patients and Partnerships
As the world is slowly, gradually, hopefully emerges from the shadow of COVID-19 there’s a unique opportunity to re-discover what matters most to patients. In […]
Speak like a leader: 15 secrets to engage any audience
Oliver Stohlmann’s Corporate Survival Hacks series draws on his experiences of working in local, regional and global life science communications to offer some little tips […]
Sustained healthcare systems need sustainable pharma business models
COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of robust supply chains and the dangers of an over reliance on overseas manufacturing. But can the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe […]
Health Innovators: Healios’ Richard Andrews
In the latest Health Innovators video chat, pharmaphorum’s founder, Dr Paul Tunnah, chats with the founder and CEO of digital mental health pioneer Healios. Rich […]
How are the European pharma and biotech sectors addressing strategic communications?
Stakeholder expectations are high and, with all eyes on healthcare at the moment, it is essential for companies to go beyond generic commitments, says Rosanna […]
What HCPs think about medical tweetorials
Twitter has been used by health professionals for over a decade to share medical knowledge and education. Until late-2018 they had only 140 characters to […]
BMS’ Catherine Owen: Hybrid communication is here to stay
The company’s senior vice president for major markets (Europe, Canada and Japan) talks about the continued evolution of pharma’s approach to communications and commercialisation. The […]
A Life in a Day by The Method
Patient centricity has become a key aspiration for the pharma industry over the last several years, but getting entire organisations to think and behave in […]
A test of NICE’s resolve: clinical guidelines for Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
The work of the UK’s HTA body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), is often heatedly debated, and this time it’s for […]
Make locally led public health ‘business as usual’, says report
COVID-19 proved the value of locally led, place-based public health – but teams need long-term funding and support if they are to take their place […]
COVID-19 has propelled the regulatory industry years ahead
Janssen’s Saskia De Haes, VP EMEA Regulatory Affairs, looks at how the pandemic response has shaped tomorrow’s regulatory landscape. In my 26 years of industry […]
Translating EU presence to US market success
Companies looking to replicate a drug’s EU market success in the US will face significant hurdles unless they are fully aware of the ever-changing national […]
