Medical drugs

NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Rethinking our global health architecture in a fragmented world

The international health governance landscape is at a critical and precarious juncture

Merck's prescription medicine, Keytruda, generated more than US$30 billion in 2025 and accounted for nearly half the company's total revenue.

Merck to create separate cancer business as Keytruda patent loss looms

This underscores the US drugmaker’s push to diversify beyond its blockbuster drug

The nation faces the second-highest burden of diabetes globally, after China, according to Lancet.

India to spend 100 billion rupees to make biopharma production hub

The funding will be directed towards the research and production of biologics and biosimilar medicines

The FDA PreCheck programme, first announced in August, aims to streamline review of domestic pharmaceutical plants and eliminate unnecessary regulatory requirements.

US FDA launches programme to boost domestic drug manufacturing

It’s in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order in May to shift manufacturing of drugs to the US

The British-Swedish drugmaker is expanding its investment in the growing obesity market led by Western rivals and has also licensed an experimental weight-loss pill from China’s EccoGene.

AstraZeneca strikes deal for up to US$18.5 billion to license weight-loss drugs from China's CSPC

The deal builds on existing collaboration between the companies in areas such as artificial intelligence

Jay Thyagarajan, senior VP for Apac at Novo Nordisk, says that one way the company intends to manage patent expiries is through continued investments in R&D, including work on novel drug formulations.
TOPLINE

‘Treating obesity for the next 100 years’: Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk targets tripling of Apac patient base

By sales volumes for its GLP-1 drugs, the company’s largest markets in the region are Australia, Japan, South Korea and India

The tool is expected to streamline clinical trials for Mash, a condition that affects millions of Americans and can lead to liver failure or cancer, the FDA says.

US FDA qualifies first AI tool to help speed liver disease drug development

Drug developers are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence technologies

This move represents a step in fulfilling China’s pledge to combat the flow of synthetic opioid ingredients to the US.

China curbs drug precursors to North America after US trade deal

The controlled substances include various piperidine derivatives and entire families of related compounds used in making fentanyl

The tussle for Metsera began with discussions between the company and potential acquirers in early 2024, with both Pfizer and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, expressing interest.

Pfizer sues Metsera, Novo Nordisk over rival obesity drug bid

[BENGALURU] Pfizer on Friday (Oct 31) filed a lawsuit against Metsera and Novo Nordisk, saying Metsera breached its merger agreement obligations in declaring the Danish drugmaker’s US$8.5 billion bid ...

The Pfizer-Trump agreement represents a highly personalised, transactional approach to healthcare policy that could set troubling precedents.

The Pfizer-Trump deal: A new chapter in drug pricing or political theatre?

The approach may generate headlines while leaving the structural problems of American pharmaceutical pricing unaddressed