COVID-19

The use of virtual, real-time and at-home testing to provide clinical trials data has been steadily gaining the interest of the health care industry. COVID-19 has put this opportunity into sharper focus, says CNS trials technology developer Cambridge Cognition, which is now adding a voice option to its portfolio.

Johan Van Hoof, global head of vaccines at Janssen, talks to In Vivo about the company’s platform, how it is approaching COVID-19 research and the impact of today’s global pandemic on the future of vaccine R&D. 

ResMed’s respiratory device portfolio has put it front and center of the global medtech industry’s efforts to bring COVID-19 under control. UK and Ireland country manager Antoine Valterio tells In Vivo how the company rose to the challenge, and how providers are now seeing digital technologies in a new light.

Unique industry partnerships and new regulatory flexibility in Latin America may help to improve access to medicines, even as COVID-19 wreaks havoc in the region’s largest pharmaceutical market. Can biopharma’s bespoke solutions to market access barriers coalesce into a strategy capable of overcoming political, economic and COVID-19 related risks?   

Infographic: As the novel coronavirus continues to cause disruption and leave casualties across the globe, In Vivo has taken a look at the activities of the life sciences sector in response. Here is a breakdown of biopharma and medtech research actions against COVID-19. 

Last month a drug for the prevention of uterine haemorrhage became the first product to be approved under a novel scheme designed to speed up access to medicines in low and middle-income countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Another important step has been taken under the Healthy China initiative, with the implementation on June 1 of a basic law on access to health care. This provides additional tailwind for a health system that appeared to efficiently contain its coronavirus outbreak and is now making further structural improvements.

Roy Jakobs was appointed internally to head connected care at Philips on 28 January, shortly before COVID-19 forced the first of many lockdowns around the world. The disruption prompted a rapid rethink of priorities, which has shown opportunities for lasting health care system change.

COVID-19 has introduced new challenges (and more attorneys) into the biopharma deal-making environment, but experts say the fundamentals for deal activity point toward a rebound. Companies that adapt quickly to changes – in communication, due diligence and deal structure – will make successful connections in a time of social distancing.

In 2019, more than 75% of the biological therapies approved by the FDA used technologies developed by GE Healthcare Life Sciences for manufacturing. Following the completion of a $21.9bn acquisition by Danaher, the company has rebranded to Cytiva. In Vivo speaks with CEO Emmanuel Ligner to learn more about his vision for the new company and the impact of COVID-19. 

Clinical trials for therapeutic areas aside from COVID-19 are experiencing disruptions and delays as social distancing measures and travel restrictions are implemented across the world.

The evolution of how and where patients receive their care has received an unexpected boost from the COVID-19 crisis. Coronavirus volume testing challenges persist, but the global medtech industry is now looking beyond the crisis toward a return to “normal” business.

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting global supply chains and companies need effective tools to manage the related contract disputes. Sidley Austin partner Dorothee Schramm and senior associate Katie von der Weid, both specialized in international commercial disputes, provide tips to help companies manage the situation.

If a post-COVID-19 economic recovery starts properly in September, as some have suggested, how swift would a return to normal be for medtech and life sciences businesses? It depends what the new normal looks like, suggests life sciences legal firm Goodwin. But in the regulatory arena, agencies are working hard to keep market access a priority during the ongoing public health emergency.

Adoption of telehealth services has skyrocketed during the coronavirus outbreak and US experts are expecting the trend to continue post-pandemic, fundamentally transforming health care.

In the next evolution of health care, the pharmaceutical industry needs to preserve its customers, not the direct to customer advertising campaigns.