Joseph Foley

Regulatory agencies in Latin America continue to march ahead with COVID-19 vaccine approvals. Mexico’s COFEPRIS got the ball rolling when it authorised emergency use of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty in mid-December. Argentina’s ANMAT was first with the AZ/Oxford vaccine. As COVID-19 vaccination drives continue to get underway globally, the major regulatory agencies...

Gran Bretaña siempre estuvo a la delantera. El día 2 de diciembre aprobó la vacuna anti COVID de Pfizer, constituyéndose en el primer país occidental en avalar una vacuna de este tipo. Y hoy 30 de diciembre le levantó el pulgar a la vacuna de AZ. La agenda de aprobaciones...

Argentina has just joined the group of countries that have authorised vaccines against COVID-19. The national regulator led by Manuel Limeres has granted authorisation to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, following Chile and Ecuador. Just before the bells tolls for Christmas, Argentina's drugs regulator, ANMAT, got into full swing. Late on the...

En este diciembre de pandemia, las adquisiciones en farma siguen activas. Ahora la francesa Servier llegó a un acuerdo para comprar el negocio de Oncología de Agios Pharmaceuticals, la que buscaba capital para invertir en enfermedades genéticas. A poco de clausurar el 2020 el laboratorio francés Servier acordó la adquisición...

Según el diario británico The Financial Times, el gobierno del Reino Unido quiere acelerar la aprobación de medicinas innovadoras en el país, a fin de atraer inversiones después del Brexit. El Reino Unido le ofrecerá a los laboratorios de farma aprobaciones aceleradas para medicamentos innovadores. Es en función de que intenta atraer...

Mientras las vacunas anti COVID-19 están consiguiendo los primeros OKs regulatorios, la segunda tabacalera más grande del mundo, que sorprendió con su plan de desarrollar una vacuna a base de tabaco, sigue avanzando con el proyecto. British American Tobacco está un paso más cerca de producir una vacuna contra el...

Ahora los hackers fueron por la EMA, el organismo regulatorio europeo. Según BioNTech, la firma alemana detrás de la primera vacuna anti COVID-19 aprobada en occidente, accedieron a documentos sobre vacunas. Los ciberataques contra datos relacionados a las vacunas COVID-19 siguen activos. Después de que varias empresas e instituciones reconocieran intentos...

El COVID-19 no impactó en la gestión de evaluación de productos de la FDA. El regulador de los medicamentos en EEUU siguió con su ritmo de aprobaciones de nuevas moléculas en este 2020. Así ya igualó a las de 2019 y todo apunta a que se supere esa marca. Este...

La norteamericana MSD vendió el stake que tenía en Moderna, una de las firmas que está en la carrera de las vacunas anti COVID-19. Se trata de un investment que mantenía desde el 2015 y que incrementó fuertemente su valor en este 2020 por el aumento en el precio...

Another German company that left Argentina at the end of last year is now generating new cuts in the sector a year later. Half of the technical staff at what was Gerresheimer's plastic packaging plant, now owned by local drugmaker IMAP, are to go. The plant itself has already been...

El brazo de la logística está en plena expansión a fin de hacerle frente a la demanda de transporte de vacunas COVID-19 que requieren de condiciones súper frías. Algunas empresas ya están ampliando su capacidad, como es el caso de va-Q-tec, enfocada en contenedores de alquiler. Los particulares desafíos presentados...

El Congreso de los Estados Unidos votó por unanimidad la aprobación de una nueva ley que apunta a cerrar una laguna legal relacionada con la exclusividad de las drogas huérfanas. Es en función de que los productos que obtienen esta designación de la FDA reciben incentivos específicos. El parlamento norteamericano...

 Frente a los desafíos logísticos presentados por la distribución de vacunas anti-COVID un conjunto de entidades internacionales publicaron una guía relativa a las regulaciones y a la planificación que debe enfrentar la industria de cargas aéreas.  Las aerolíneas se están preparando para una operación logística sin precedentes para distribuir las...

En medio de la pandemia del COVID-19, la EMA cambió de titular. Desde hoy la que asume es la irlandesa Emer Cooke, quien se convierte en la primera mujer en ponerse al frente de la agencia regulatoria europea. Reemplaza a Guido Rasi, quien llevó las riendas por una década. El...

Con la atención puesta en los desafíos logísticos de cómo transportar y distribuir las vacunas candidatas contra el COVID-19, el jefe de la aerolínea de cargas más grande de Europa dijo que usar aviones de pasajeros sería la solución. Apenas Pfizer anunció los resultados positivos de su potencial vacuna anti COVID-19...

Switzerland's Novartis aims to become a "boutique drugmaker". It's opened negotiations on voluntary redundancies at it looks to downsize its salesforce in Onco-hematology in Argentina. It aims to reduce a division of 25 medical sales representatives by 36%. Multinational drugmakers are steadily refining their portfolios to specialise in increasingly sophisticated niches. Following...

In November, a third multinational drugmaker will pull out of Argentina. Baxter was the first to go during this year's period of obligatory confinement. It was followed by Pierre Fabre. Now J&J Medical Devices is pulling down the shutters on its orthopaedics business. The products under its DePuy Synthes...

La carrera global para desarrollar vacunas contra el COVID-19 ya desató una nueva guerra de inteligencia entre las potencias más grandes, con el condimento de los hackers y espías como protagonistas. Buscan robar y proteger datos sobre las vacunas que están desarrollando los principales laboratorios e instituciones académicas. El apuro...

Mientras que todos los ojos están puestos en la industria farmacéutica en función del desarrollo de una vacuna contra el COVID-19, pocos se preguntan si el resto de la cadena de distribución está en condiciones de trasladarla. Una encuesta sugiere que la industria de cargas todavía no está lista para...

Los cambios de mando en algunos sillones relevantes siguen a la orden del día. Ahora trascendió que estaría finalizando el mandato de Jean-Paul Agon como cabeza global de L'Oréal. Lo reemplazaría el director adjunto. La francesa de cosmética L'Oréal ya eligió a su nuevo jefe. Será a fin de reemplazar...

En un año en que las vacunas se recotizaron en el escenario mundial, la alemana Boehringer Ingelheim está lanzando nuevas vacunas para animales. Acaba de presentar la primera protección trivalente para aves de corral. Las vacunas están en el foco internacional en este año de pandemia. Aunque no son todas...

A nivel internacional, se dio a conocer que la fundación CEPI creó una red de laboratorios para permitir la evaluación y la comparación de las distintas vacunas en desarrollo contra el COVID-19. Mientras cerca de 200 empresas alrededor del mundo siguen en la carrera para desarrollar una vacuna contra el COVID-19,...

Dos años atrás, Bayer jugó todas sus fichas en el sector del Agro cuando se hizo de la agroquímica Monsanto. Sin embargo, ahora la decisión pesa sobre la compañía que ve un creciente deterioro en su negocio de Crop Science en función del impacto de la pandemia. La multi alemana...

El Banco Mundial está debatiendo acerca de la creación de un fondo de u$s 12 mil millones para asistir a los países en desarrollo. Será para que puedan asegurarse el acceso a las vacunas anti COVID-19 que están en etapa clínica, una vez que sean aprobadas. El presidente del Banco...

Bajo el nombre "Team Europe", la UE está coordinando un programa que incluye a varios países del mundo en pos de enfrentar la profunda crisis sanitaria y socio-económica causada por la pandemia del COVID-19. En Argentina se están vehiculizando acciones concretas. La crisis del COVID-19 es global y...

El ex CFO global de Biogen terminó su gestión en agosto. Pero el ejecutivo no se fue con las manos vacías. La firma le dio una súper indemnización de u$s 2.6 millones, que se sumó a otros beneficios financieros. Por caso, Jeff Capello también se quedó con el "sign-on bonus" que había...

Mientras la pandemia mundial no da tregua, las aerolíneas europeas están analizando nuevas estrategias para recuperar su actividad comercial. Algunas están negociando con fabricantes de pruebas de diagnóstico para garantizar vuelos "COVID-free". Los fabricantes de tests de diagnóstico para el COVID-19 podrían darle nuevas alas a las aerolíneas que están analizando cómo...

Los tests para detectar el coronavirus son una de las estrellas de esta temporada de pandemia. Y es en este contexto que la FDA salió al ruedo con un informe que lista los diferentes dispositivos autorizados al momento, según la pertinente capacidad de detección del virus. La FDA puso la...

Los biosensores para medir la glucosa ya no son sólo para diabéticos. Una multi de farma identificó otro potencial mercado y está lanzando en algunos países de Europa el primer dispositivo de este tipo enfocado en atletas. El laboratorio norteamericano Abbott le encontró una vuelta de tuerca a su device para...

En este 2020 en el que el plasma está en la agenda como tratamiento contra el COVID-19, la española Grifols se quedó con el 100% de Alkahest. Se trata de una startup nacida en Silicon Valley, cuyos productos en desarrollo no están enfocados en la pandemia sino en enfermedades neurodegenerativas. La...

La salida al mercado de una vacuna de cualquier especie toma un largo proceso que se debe cumplimentar. Sin embargo la avidez de las audiencias y de los gobiernos llevó a cometer varios equívocos a todas la partes involucradas. Ahora en un acto de sensatez, las multis que tienen...

Al pelotón de proyectos que están en la etapa de pruebas más avanzadas para dar con la vacuna contra el coronavirus se suma el de la dupla conformada por la francesa Sanofi y la británica GSK, que acaba de iniciar estudios clínicos en Estados Unidos. Si bien en la Argentina,...

Los sobreprecios en compras públicas no son únicamente un problema "made in Argentina". En Estados Unidos, el Departamento de Salud rescindió un contrato con la holandesa Philips, la que iba a proveerle 43.000 respiradores. Fue luego de que el Congreso determinara que se habían pagado u$s 500 millones de más. La holandesa...

US giant J&J is one of the host of drugmakers with its foot down on efforts to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. The company, whose pharma division is led by Tatiana Marante in Argentina, is depending heavily on Latin America to test its candidate. Pharmabiz has learned that Argentina and...

Remote working has become a definitive part of the corporate environment. French drugmaker Sanofi seems to hold that it's as effective to run Argentine operations from Europe as from Buenos Aires, with its Southern Cone general manager to set up a virtual offfice Switzerland. The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has...

A month ago Argentina's president received the local head of Pfizer to announce that the drugmaker would begin clinical trials in Argentina. The annocement generated the public idea that a vaccine was around the corner. Now expectations are even higher as it's announced that AstraZeneca intends to manufacture...

The Softgel specialist Catalent is expanding its capacity in Argentina. Led locally by Hernán Mellone, the company, which dominates the local softgel market, will invest an estimated US$ 5 million in a new plant. US softgel specialist Catalent hasn't been put off by the ongoing lockdown, nor the local...

Regulations on the use of treatments based on cannabidiol vary across the region. In Argentina, the use of medicinal oil must be requsted under "compassionate use". But a major Latin American player has become the representative of a US firm specialising in medicinal cannabis. The major Latin American multinational...

The US drugmaker Baxter has closed the doors on its Argentina operation to definitively leave the country. It leaves Argentina's Comarsa as its local representative. Another pharmaceutical multinational has bowed out from Argentina. Pharmabiz has learned that the US giant Baxter is closing its renal care business – its last remaining...

Several major multinational companies have taken the decision to pull out of Argentina during the Covid-19 lockdown. The airline Latam and the sports brand Nike are now followed by the French drugmaker Pierre Fabre. Company restructuring and the local devaluation are the main factors responsible. Pierre Fabre's opening of a new...

Pfizer's local general manager Nicolás Vaquer visited the presidential residence in Olivos on what was a holiday weekend in Argentina to tell President Alberto Fernández that Pfizer will carry out trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidates in the country, generating a flurry of media hype. Pfizer's office in Argentina has...

US drugmaker Biogen has had a setback in Argentina. As the country extends its Covid-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Health has removed Obligatory Medical Program (PMO) status from the company's star product Spinraza after only 10 months, opening the path for an arduous process of negotiation. As new generation medicines...

English version Argentina's Elea-Phoenix wants to become the main local player in the OTC sector, which has traditionally been dominated by multinationals. It's taken another step towards that goal with the acquisition of the popular cholagogue Hepatalgina. The novel coronavirus is proving no obstacle against deals in other areas of pharma. Pharmabiz has learned...

English version L'Oréal's Argentine operations will be run from the northern hemisphere with a two-hour time difference for the time being as the new local head waits in Mexico for Argentina to reopen its borders. French cosmetics giant L'Oréal has another new head for Argentina after only ten months. The new...

English version The domestic cleaning giant Clorox has a new general manager in Argentina. The man chosen to head up the local branch is Antonio Mosteiro, formerly of Mondelez. He has wide experience in the mass consumer market and arrives as sales of bleach experience a boom on the back...

English version:  Germany's Stada was sold a pig in a poke back in 2015, but it didn't take long for the company to notice its low chances of success on the local generics market. Now the company is upping sticks and getting out of Argentina. The generics market in Argentina is...

English version Increasing numbers of executives are taking up positions remotely. One case is the new number one at US drugmaker Eli Lilly's Argentine office, which is now being led by the Brazilian Felipe Borges dos Reis from Brazil. Another executive has taken up his chair in Argentina remotely as the coronavirus...

English version US drugmaker Biogen as well as for Spinraza is now famous as the epicentre of multiple coronavirus cases. In Argentina, its regional director has recovered, but the local branch has become a focal point for expansion of the illness along with the company's other offices. It's already known...

English version US-based Biogen has been one of the drugmakers most affected internationally by the coronavirus pandemic. In Argentina, general manger "Maxi" Gutiérrez has announced he is clear of the virus on his Linkedin account. The general manager of Biogen in Argentina, "Maxi" Gutiérrez, has followed the approach of many of his...

English version The effects of the global coronavirus pandemic have reached Argentina. Most drugmakers are cancelling congresses, conventions and international meetings. The staff of US drugmaker Biogen's Argentina office are working from home in quarantine after several company executives tested positive for COVID-19. US media reports cite three leaders testing positive in...

English version From April 1. Argentine drugmaker Sidus will be the commercial representative of the LifeScan line of blood glucose monitors in Argentina. The brand, which belongs to the private investment firm Platinum Equity has been licensed to firm owned by the Argüelles family and will have no connection with...

English version The Consumer Health sector is seeing continual reorganisation internationally. Joining the list of pharma multinationals who've bought assets only to sell them on not long afterwards is GSK. The drugmaker has offloaded a trio of mature brands in the Latin America region into the hands of the regional...

English version Since Japan's Takeda acquired Shire in 2018, the drugmaker's course towards a specialist focus has been set. The sale of its portfolio of mature drugs has been predicted. Two local brands have changed hands for now as part of a deal with regional reach. Japan's Takeda has sold...

English version Argentina's sky-high inflation isn't stopping the multinationals in the sector. Pfizer's gloval CEO was in the country and even donned the jersey of the national football team. He signed balls and had a tête à tête with local staff. Albert Bourla, global CEO of Pfizer was in Argentina...

English version Argentina following the rest of the world and has ordered drugmakers to produce parenteral preparations exclusively through closed system technology. To meet the ANMAT's new regulations, Germany's B. Braun is investing €30 million to build a new plant in Mar del Plata to produce for the local market. German drugmaker...

English version In the event at Hotel Alvear, the group's Juan Carlos Bagó said it would be the last time he presented on stage. He said he was taking a difficult but mature decision to step back from the limelight but would continue firm in the group. The major Argentine...

English version The big candidate was Brazil's Eurofarma., but Biotoscana has today officially revealed its new owner is the Canadian company Knight Therapeutics. A mayor player in the region, its future will be followed closely. It's official: Latin American group Biotoscana has changed hands, with the offer from Canada's Knight...

English version Argentina's regulator ANMAT is taking measures over ranitidine. On the local market, the leading brand is Taural from Roemmers group, but there are many generics distributed through hospitals and retail. The order only affects oral versions. The ranitidine alert is expanding in Latin America, with Argentina's ANMAT stopping production of new lots and other regional regulators issuing their...

English version Switzerland's Helsinn has closed an agreement with Argentina's Varifarma and Brazil's Blanver for the exclusive licensing and representation of one of its pipeline products in the region. The product in question is the potential oncological drug pracinostat, currently at the development stage. Switzerland's Helsinn has signed exclusive distribution and license agreements with Argentina'sVarifarma and Brazil's Blanver through which the companies...

English version Multinational conglomerate 3M has decided to shut down all three of its Argentine plants including one that manufactures aerosol nebulizers for asthmatics. It will be the first time a pharma plant has shut down in the country outside bankruptcy procedures. US-based 3M has made the decision to shut down its three manufacturing plants in Argentina, one...

English version The USA's Athenex has announced the acquisition of CIDAL, a Guatemala-headquartered firm focusing on clincal trials and studies that operates in several countries in Latin America.  The CRO (contact research organization) segument comprising companies that focus on clinical studies is proving dynamic at the moment with a new acquisition in Latin America. US-based Athenex has announced the purchase...

English version The pharmacy retail sector in Ecuador saw a pivot after the earthquake of 2016. Many sales points have since opened up outside of traditional downtown city centre areas. The retail pharmacy sector in Ecuador is not only the preserve of Mexico's FEMSA. According to El Diario de Ecuador, pharmacies in the country are expanding operations beyond...

English version The 2019 edition of the IQVIA World Review took place today at  a hotel outisde of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Topics included the strengths and weaknesses of social security systems in the region. Former head of health services in Argentina Luis Scervino put the focus on the intangibility of resources belonging to the country's fund...

English version La francesa Sanofi has begun to strip itself of products that don't form part of its core earners after having taken a packet of OTC brands from Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim. France's Sanofi continues to prune its portfolio. Having broadened its OTC portfolio through a swap with Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim back in 2016, it's peeling off products that...

English version Germany's Schott, a specialist glass maker that produces glass for the pharmaceutical industry Pharmabiz to tour its manufacturing plant in Rio de Janeiro. The company told Pharmabiz that it would maintain its investments in the region where it operates three production sites, one in Rio where it makes raw materials; one that makes finished products in Sao...

English Version. The news from the pharma and cosmetic industry from the second week of March. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry by Joseph Foley. In the podcast this week, the goverment continues its strategy for insulin provision, drugmaker Sanofi lays off five employees and Biogen focuses on the final price...

English version Swiss drugmaker Novartis is closing the shutters on its cardiometabolic unit in Argentina. As far as Pharmabiz could learn, the mature products Diovan, Galvus and Exforge are being moved off-stage resulting in 35 layoffs. Swiss drugmaker Novartis is closing the shutters on its cardiometabolic unit in Argentina The triad of products in the unit - the valsartan...

English version Argentina's drugmakers cannot escape the country's recession. Pharmabiz has learned that TRB Pharma has begun crisis prevention measures cutting 10% of its workforce. Argentina's pharma sector is feeling the heat of the country's prolonged recession and economic crisis as local drugmaker TRB Pharma announces a 10% cut to its workforce. The cuts are being made under Argentina's so-called Procedimientos...

English version The CEO of Novartis is currently in Argentina as part of a Latin American tours that started in Mexico and will wrap up in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There's a star visitor in Argentina this week - the CEO is Swiss drugmaker Novartis, Vasant Narasimhan, who is in the country as part of a...

English Version. The news from the pharma and cosmetic industry from the second week of February. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry by Joseph Foley. In the podcast this week, an Argentine group expands its portfolio in Latin America, Swiss drugmaker Novartis announces a new country head, and a local drug...

English version The Roemmers group has sealed another deal with Swiss drugmaker Roche. It had already bought the company's primary care package in Argentina and now takes on Bactrim and Dormicum for the wider Latam region. Pharmabiz has been told the deal totalled around US$ 75 million. Argentine group Roemmers, which bought out Swiss drugmaker Roche's package of primary care products on the local...

English Version. The news from the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry from the first week of February. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry by Joseph Foley. In the podcast this week, bids on goverment purchases in Argentina while L'Oréal blames its regional downturn in inflation in the country, and Kimberly Clark is to close...

English version Unilever continues to bring more personal care brands to the Argentine market, now launching Nexxus, a brand that, although in different channels, will compete with L'oréal's Kérastase. It has eight presentations retailing for an average of AR$500 (US$13) putting it at opposite ends of the market from Unilever's own Sedal, which retails at AR$75. Despite the recession and drop in...

English Version. The news from the pharmaceutical industry from the last week of January. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical industry by Joseph Foley. In the podcast this week, public tenders in Buenos Aires Province, regional restructuring at Roemmers and a new face at Novartis in Argentina. See article in Spanish Ir a descargar

English version Argentine pharma group Roemmers is making changes and updating its structure throughout the Latin America region. Argentine pharma group Roemmers is updating its structure throughout the Latin America region, the local heavyweight making changes at various units across the continent. Santiago Llavallol has arrived in Peru to replace Pedro Alonso Hidalgo, who crosses to...

English Version. The news from the pharmaceutical industry from the fourth week of January. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical industry by Joseph Foley. In the podcast this week, Venezuelan pharmacy chain Farmatodo touches down in Argentina, fraud at Pierre Fabre, and a send off for a local veteran. See article in Spanish. Ir a descargar

English version French drugmaker Pierre Fabre fired its trade marketing manager in Argentina in December and filed a criminal case in Buenos Aires City. A large quantity of missing retail products has been identified and were bought illegally. French drugmaker Pierre Fabre has begun an internal investigation in Argentina to detect the final destination of a substantial quantity...

The news from the pharmaceutical industry from the third week of January. English Version. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical industry by Joseph Foley. This week, businesses and trade unions take stock of the annual inflation figures released by statistics bureau INDEC and drugmakers programme manufacturing cuts over the summer. See article in Spanish Ir a descargar

English version Prices across all sectors were continually adjusted throughout 2018. Pharmabiz analyzed the movement of the hygiene and personal care basket monitored by Argentina's national statistics institute INDEC. It increased by 65.6% while the general basket of goods measured by the body increased by 47.6%. Argentina's annual inflation for 2018 was the...

English version. The news from the pharmaceutical industry from the second week of January. A one-minute overview of the news from the pharmaceutical industry by Joseph Foley. This week Takeda's acquisition of Shire, payments from Argentina's pensioners' medical care provider PAMI and price controls on the local market. See article in Spanish Go to download

English Version. The news from the pharmaceutical industry in the second week of January. A one-minute overview of pharmaceutical news from the first week of 2019 by Joseph Foley. This week, a record-breaking acquisition and inflation in Argentina. See article in Spanish   Ir a descargar

English version Unilever launches the brand Simple in Argentina aiming at consumers with sensitive skin with a price point  50% above that of Dove. Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever continues to launch brands on the Argentine market despite the challenging economic context. Following the launch of the LivOpen repellants last summer, the group has launched its Simple line of products. The skincare...

English version The gradual loss of staff at the Argentina subsidiary of Switzerland's Roche has become impossible to hide. Although its communication department continues to try to show the company as a multinational with excellent benefits, the perks are clearly not proving to be enough to retain mid-level executives. Swiss drugmaker Roche is one of the many multinationals that cannot...

English version The team at Novartis Oncology in Argentina is waiting expectantly after learning that CEO Aliya Omer is moving on after barely a year in the country. Most of the team is said to have welcomed the news since Omer's particular management meant several had to move departments of even leave the company. We know the multinationals rotate...

English version. Frenchman Damien Favre had to abandon the glamorous Italian market to take on the devalued mass consumption market in Argentina. Favre is starting his tenure with price increases across the division of 14.5%. French giant L'Oréal is bringing in a replacement to head its mass consumption business in Argentina to oversee the firm's strategy in dealing with...

English version The tenure of the Argentine Rodolfo Civale at the helm of the UK’s GSK for the Southern Cone has come to an end. His exit will also mean a change at the CAEMe, the association for international drugmakers. It seemed like it would last ever, but the decade-long tenure...

English version The Argentine mendicines industry suffers setbacks as Indian drugmaker Glenmark cuts costs and lays off 20% of its manufacturing workforce in the country, Pharmabiz has learned. Indian drugmaker Glenmark is making substantial cuts to its manufacturing staff in Argentina. Pharmabiz has learned from reliable sources that the company, which was held up as a model for local industry during...

English version Latin Pharma firms continue to make headlines. Now the Mega Pharma group has bought the Uruguayan drugmaker Celsius in a move that will give it control over 30% of the medicines market in Uruguay. Latin giant Mega Pharma continues to expand reinforcing its operations in the continent. Pharmabiz has learned that the holding company, owned by Thomas Struengmann, has acquired another...

English version Brazil's Grupo Masipack, which manufactures machinery for the pharma sector, is in financial crisis. The president of the company blames the problems on the recession in Brazil. Brazil's Grupo Masipack, which manufactures machinery for the pharma sector, is suffering a financial crisis that is affecting delivery times for its products. As far as Pharmabiz could learn, the company is responding...

English version Germany's Sartorius is bringing its star speaker Stefan Schlack to Argentina. The executive is arriving in the country for Open Talks at Buenos Aires' MALBA museum. Germany's Sartorius is looking to the region inviting experts and anyone interested in the biotechnology business to attend a talk by its star speaker, the vice president of bioprocesses Stefan Schlack. Schlack, who has been at the corporation...

English version Argentine drugmaker Biosidus has opened the door to new shareholders: the investment funds Acon Investments and Humus Capital Partners, which will now control the company. Pharmabiz has learned that Biosidus, which had been owned by the García Belmonte family since the divisino of Grupo Sidus in 2010 is being reshaped through the arrival of new shareholders. According to an official release from the...

English version Collective pay negotiations in the Argentine pharma sector have closed reaching with an agreement of a 20% pay increase in three phases. The agreement includes update clause based on the consumer price index. After some delay, the collective pay negotiations in the Argentine pharma sector have reached an agreement. Pharmabiz has learned that the sectors'...

English version The Roemmers family has broken its ties with the Struengmann family, leaving Uruguay-based Latin pharma giant Mega Pharma, which was founded in 2002. International drugmakers are continually restructuring and Latin America's multinationals are no exception. Pharmabiz has learned that the regional giant Mega Pharma, which counted local businessman and pharma reference point Alberto Roemmers as a shareholder, has seen a major...

English version The patent on the antirretroviral Reyataz recently expired. The US firm BMS had been selling the product to the Argentine state for a decade as part of the national HIV programme. Generally, the private pharma industry doesn´t look kindly on the state production of medicines. One reason is that while it has sufficient structure to supply the market, public drugmakers require large...

English version Argentine firm Andrómaco has closed a deal with Danish drugmaker Leo Pharma to bring Picato to Argentina The anti-actinic transparent gel will come under the firm's prescription medicines business. Argentine firm Andrómaco has closed a deal with Danish drugmaker Leo Pharma. The company, which belongs to the Roviralta family had already sealed deals with the European counterpart in the past, but is...

English version The "un-termination" of the agreement with PAMI, Argentina’s state funded health provision for pensioners, was possibly the key and most controversial topic of 2017. The agreement was terminated then reactivated in a series of twists that have left many wondering what lays in store for the next agreement due...

English version Pharmabiz, Latin America's top digital source of news on the pharmaceutical industry, is celebrating ten years. Its first decade of existence has seen it become an indispensable reference for a broad section of the Pharma and cosmetics industries. Online newspapers are defining the era and in this context Pharmabiz, at the forefront of new forms...

English version It’s not unusual to come across imitations of luxury fragrances, but companies have taken it as far as Argentine direct sales company Reino. The firm has launched replicas that emulate the details of top fragrances at 80 per cent cheaper. Imitations of luxury fragrances are no novelty. Many low-price lines emulate...

English version: US firm Baxter is divesting in Argentina. Led by regional head Marcelo Rozas, the multinational is in the due diligence process to sell its clinic Daomi for the second time. The change of direction take by Argentine president Mauricio Macri apparently was not enough to convince some multinationals that the country is a reliable market...

English version: Abbott launched a misleading campaign green-lighted by Argentine CEO for the diabetes division, Nicolás Mendiberri, and José María Oribe's press agency, that seemed to falsely suggest the at new blood sugar test completely eliminated the need for finger pricks. US drugmaker Abbott has been accused of launching a misleading ad campaign in Argentina suggesting that...