The first half of 2018 appeared promising for the European biopharma sector, with multiple large investment funds promising cash to young, innovative companies in the region – a turnaround after years of life science firms suffering from a funding drought across Europe.

Investment in advanced in vitro diagnostics is increasing as the technologies themselves are becoming less esoteric and more easily "understood" by patients and providers alike. Are these technologies finally breaking through the glass ceiling to visibly assume their rightful place in health care delivery? 

The hotly contested US market is central to Bayer’s aspirations to become a global innovation player in pharmaceuticals, especially in key growth segments like oncology. A little more than one year in, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Americas President Dr. Carsten Brunn reflects on his unit’s progress.

Cancer's chief professional practice organization, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), is working to transform the post-treatment pathway for survivors of cancer. It is part of an overall movement in the cancer community emphasizing the importance of making current treatments work better for more patients. 

Drug development for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of liver disease, is a game of incomplete information: pipeline evolution is occurring in parallel with continued efforts to better understand and manage the disease. To date, no therapy for patients with NASH has been approved and consequences of the condition can be severe, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes orthopedic business has taken a measured view of digital and robotic capabilities, rather than acquiring assets that perhaps do not fully meet its strategic needs. For the business's global R&D head Euan Thomson, any new technology must augment the group's abilities to drive meaningful outcomes.

Lars Rebien Sørensen scrutinizes the pharmaceutical industry and shares with In Vivo his vision for the future of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. With 16 years as CEO of Novo Nordisk under his belt, as well as many more years in leadership roles at the Danish company, Sørensen reflects on the past and gives his predictions for the future of the innovative drug development sector.

The hotly contested US market is central to Bayer’s aspirations to become a global innovation player in pharmaceuticals, especially in key growth segments like oncology. A little more than one year in, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Americas President Dr. Carsten Brunn reflects on his unit’s progress.

An interactive look at recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device and diagnostics industries.

Potentially curative regenerative medicine therapies are no longer theoretical, but instead have become reality. As more and more gene, cell and tissue-based therapies reach the market, the need for payment solutions is becoming more pressing. The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine has consulted with payers and other stakeholders to consider the barriers to alternative payment models and look at possible solutions.

With 15 new gene and cell-based therapies in late-stage testing, the time is now to consider a critical strategic question: is there a pricing model for these budget-busting treatments that works in both safeguarding returns to innovators and providing access to patients at a price society is willing to pay? An analysis by ZS Associates looks at the options for biopharma going forward.

Value is a concept that is increasingly embraced by providers and payers, as well as medtech manufacturers. Leading providers are organizing around value, changing their models and thereby inviting medtech manufacturers to adapt to the post fee-for-service era. Some, like Medtronic, are at the head of the game.

The growing prominence of a 16-million-strong community of cancer survivors is having a significant long-term impact on the practice of oncology and the expectations of providers and patients toward the biopharma enterprise.  

Sanofi teamed up with Translate Bio in an $850 million mRNA vaccine/infectious disease deal. Novartis spun off the device assets of Alcon through a share buyback program worth $5 billion. Strong showings from FOPOs and IPOs boosted biopharma financing to $5.2 billion.

As of mid-year 2018, there were more than 950 regenerative medicine therapies in clinical trials, of which more than 90 are in Phase III.