The European Parliament has launched a formal process for assessing therapies developed through stem-cell research. Ethical issues that have wrangled US regulators, though, still need attention.
Mar 1, 2007
By:
Sarah Houlton
The UK has benefited from the stem-cell debate in the US. Several scientists have fled to Europe's more favorable regulatory stance.
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Feb 1, 2007
By:
Sarah Houlton
The UK's 'unsystematic' healthcare structure is getting a makeover. It includes a new single body to oversee drug development, and potential incentives for pharma—if it plays nice.
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Germans on both sides of the political spectrum agree that their country's healthcare system needs reform. The latest attempt at change, though, doesn't really meet either side's needs.
Jan 1, 2007
By:
Sarah Houlton
In Germany, the eight million richest citizens contribute nothing to the system that pays for the remaining 70 million insured people.
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A new manifesto by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry is designed to improve drug access in the UK, where industry has worried for years about poor uptake of new medicines.
Dec 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
Even when NICE has said that drugs should be available to anyone who needs them, patients still have to convince their Primary Care Trusts.
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The European Union has been late to enter the fight against counterfeiting. Fed up, Parliament has passed a
Nov 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
Pfizer says it is trying to stamp out counterfeiting by consolidating under one drug distributor. Critics think otherwise.
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Health authorities in Europe are working hard to reestablish their countries as preferred locations for pharma's R&D facilities. Fortunately, they've got a blueprint: China.
Oct 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
A new European collaboration of biotech, pharma, academia, and government takes up the challenge of boosting R&D.
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Pharma's battle against animal-rights activists has been long-lasting and decidedly uphill. But now, with the Prime Minister on its side, industry sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Sep 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
Public revulsion at animal-rights extremists is damaging their cause. The majority of people deem the worst offenders to be terrorists.
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A recent clinical trials disaster is causing UK regulators to consider revising its guidelines for Phase I human studies for biologics. However, in many cases, potential solutions present additional problems.
Jun 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
Staggering doses in clinical trials may prevent large numbers of people from experiencing serious side effects. But it presents practical and ethical dilemmas, such as determining who is going to be first in line for their dose.
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If current trends continue, the United Kingdom will spend 12.7 percent of its GDP on healthcare by 2050. Maybe that means it's time to reform the National Health Service's notoriously complex drug payment scheme.
May 1, 2006
By:
Sarah Houlton
One health insurance company in The Netherlands is offering doctors a financial incentive to prescribe generic statins and proton pump inhibitors. Doctors and patients complained, but a court upheld the practice.
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