Pharma - By Category

Big Pharma
Which companies are the leaders in the pharmaceutical industry? Explore their profiles and how Big Pharma is responding to health care reform and changing global market conditions.

Government and Intellectual Property
How do intellectual property rules and regulations impact the pharmaceutical industry? How will changes to the U.S. health care system affect pharmaceutical companies?

Sales and Marketing
What strategies are pharmaceutical marketers and agencies using to reach consumer and professional audiences? We'll look at messaging, marketing channels and social media.

Research and Development
Understanding research and development: How do pharmaceutical companies submit clinical trial results to the FDA and defend their research? How should a pharma proceed its research doesn’t lead to positive results? Where and how are results published? How can companies follow similar research being done by other companies and read their results?

Clinical Trials
Reports on clinical trial best practices and how major clinical trial results impact the pharmaceutical industry.

FDA Approval
After a drug sponsor has screened a new drug for safety in animals, future development of the drug falls under the regulatory authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's regulatory authority includes oversight, inspection, review, approval and recalls.

Insurance and Medicare/Medicaid
Insurance and Medicare/Medicaid coverage are a major focus of U.S. health care cost containment. Reform legislation included caps on Medicare spending to take effect in 2015. Given the challenges to the law by states and Congressional members, will the caps be enforced?

Manufacturing and Technology
Quality improvement and process control initiatives like Quality by Design (QbD) and Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) are supported by the FDA but have seen slow adoption by the pharmaceutical industry. What are the barriers to adoption? Which companies are implementing these process improvement strategies?

Over-the-Counter Medicine
Over-the-counter (OTC) drug markets, trends and FDA regulations and approvals.

Philanthropy
Pharma philanthropy includes corporate giving, corporate social responsibility, grant-making, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and similar programs, and foundation work in developing countries and in U.S. communities.

Generics and Biosimilars
Generics and biosimilars, the generic versions of biopharmaceuticals, are having a major impact on the present and future of the pharmaceutical industry. The mass introduction of generics for some of the best-selling branded drugs has forced pharmas to reduce workforce, find and develop new markets, and partner or merge with former competitors. The FDA is developing an approval pathway for biosimilars.

Glossary
Glossary of terms used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Drug Basics
Introductory information about how drugs are made, drug processing, approval processes and drug classes.