Industry news tidbits from around the world.
• In an attempt to stifle the spread of counterfeit drugs, Kenya has called upon intelligence units to catch counterfeiters through means similar to drug trafficking methods. Medical Services Minister Peter Anyang Nyongo said in a statement that his department plans to work with the National Security and Intelligence Services to improve surveillance methods and reduce the number of counterfeit drugs in Kenya, which, according to the country's National Quality Control Laboratories and the Pharmacy Poisons Board, make up about 30% of all drugs circulated throughout Kenya. Similarly, Rwanda is also looking at pharmacies across the country in an effort to determine the prevalence of counterfeit malaria drugs.
• A new World Trade Organization amendment may allow pharmaceutical companies to produce lower-cost generic antiretrovirals, malaria treatments, and other medicines for developing countries. Taiwan recently approved the first reading of the proposed amendment, which would facilitate the importation of cheaper, generic drugs to developing countries if they cannot manufacture the drugs themselves. Countries that have already approved the amendment are Australia, China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
• Scientists in Germany and Russia are working in conjunction with researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, South Africa) to create a database that could help shorten the diagnostic times of drug-resistant tuberculosis to a mere 48 hours.
Including Women of Childbearing Age in Clinical Research
March 26th 2024In recognition of International Women's Month, we're featuring this recent talk between Associate Editor Miranda Schmalfuhs and Marie Teil, Global Head of UCB’s Women of Childbearing Age Program. They speak about the specific challenges women with chronic illnesses face when accessing appropriate treatment and participating in clinical trials, UCB's Women of Childbearing Age Program and it’s most successful strategies, and much more.
Improving Engagement While Maintaining Data Integrity & Validity
March 19th 2024In recognition of Women's Health Month, we're featuring this recent talk between Associate Editor Miranda Schmalfuhs and uMotif's Chief Product Officer, Julia Lakeland, discuss new technologies improving patient engagement and reducing the emotional and logistical burdens of participation, ethical considerations that should be addressed when implementing those technologies, while ensuring patient privacy, and much more.
The State of the Opioid Epidemic
March 26th 2024In part 1 of this video interview, Greg Sturmer, co-founder and CEO of Elysium Therapeutics discusses the current state of opioid usage including how pain treatment is often mismanaged and how the industry can adopt greater safety standards in developing pain therapies.