Industry Developments

BMI has revised its forecasts for the French over-the-counter (OTC) drug sales, as the government looks to shift 5% of volume sales form the prescription to the OTC sector. Although... 2007-11-13

The government of the Netherlands has announced that it is to continue to promote the use of cannabis as a medicinal treatment, and will extend the availability of marijuana in pharmacies... 2007-11-09

As part of his attempts to introduce a culture of hard work and less reliance on state benefits, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that early retirees will lose their... 2007-11-07

Health tourism in Belgium is on the increase as thousands of patients from around Europe flock to the country to take advantage of low treatment costs and excellent facilities. Of... 2007-11-06

Plans to create a new drug approvals body in Germany have collapsed after the coalition parties in the government failed to agree on a framework for the agency. The new institution,... 2007-11-05

Conceptually, the new ratings system breaks down into two distinct areas. First, the

Spain's Ministry of Health (MoH) is reportedly hesitant to promote biosimilars - generic copies of biotechnology drugs - due to concerns that they do not have bioequivalency to the... 2007-11-01

The US FDA has approved Swiss drugmaker

German pharmaceutical wholesaler Celesio - once linked to a bid for UK-based pharmacy giant Alliance Boots - is in negotiations to acquire a majority stake in Russian drug distributor... 2007-10-31

Swedish drugmaker Meda has acquired local rival Recip in a deal worth SEK2.6bn (US$414.3mn), as it seeks to boost its portfolio in markets outside of the Scandinavian region.