Conflicting trends confound the pharmaceutical industry. The productivity of pharmaceutical innovation has declined in recent years. At the same time, the cohort of large companies who are the leading engines of pharmaceutical R&D has become increasingly concentrated. The concurrent presence of these trends is not sufficient to determine causation. In response to lagging innovation prospects, s...

Authorization to market a drug is conditioned on submitting the results of clinical trials, proving that the product meets national and international standards and that it can be used to benefit human health. Who presents the proof? The manufacturer. Who authorizes use of the drug? The national regulatory agencies. Clinical trials are the epidemiological approach that provides the best evidence...

Alka Chadha (2008) This paper studies the impact of the strict patent regime on the patenting activity of Indian pharmaceutical firms and finds that patenting activity of these firms has increased after the signing of TRIPs. The study is conducted for 65 pharmaceutical firms for the period 1991 to 2004 using different parametric and semiparametric count panel data models. Results across differe...

Organic solvents are commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry as reaction media, in separation and purification of synthesis products and also for cleaning of equipment. This paper presents some aspects of organic solvents utilization in an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a drug product manufacturing process. As residual solvents are not desirable substances in a final product, differe...

Growth of international free trade and inadequate drug regulation have led to the expansion of trade in counterfeit drugs worldwide. Technological protection is seen to be the best way to avoid this problem. Different technologies came into existence like overt, covert, and track and trace technologies. This review emphasises ideal technological characteristics, existing anti-counterfeit techno...

In today’s open Medicine, steven Lewis brings forth provocative commentary on the appointment of Dr. Bernard Prigent, vice-president of medical affairs for Pfizer Canada, to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). He outlines a number of arguments against the appointment that centre around conflict of interest, and places a spotlight on the diverging agendas ...

A productive and ethical relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and physicians is critical to improving drug discovery and public health. In response to concerns about inappropriate financial relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and physicians, national organizations representing physicians or industry have made recommendations designed to reduce conflicts of interest, le...