Biosimilars bring price pressure, but are they sufficiently used?

When biosimilars were introduced just over 16 years ago, hopes were raised that they would give many more patients access to effective but otherwise extremely expensive treatments with biological drugs. So, how well has Swedish healthcare used biosimilars? The answer partly depends on whom you ask.

Business Sweden’s new team is rolling out the blue-yellow carpet

According to Business Sweden’s life science team, the combination of substantial medical know-how and an ever-flourishing tech sector is a success factor for Sweden. “It’s a perfect storm, a beneficent, perfect storm,” says Programme Manager Britta Stenson.

FOKUS Patient turns international

FOKUS Patient is arranging conferences over 3 days in October, and this year, the focus will be on international collaborations.

Bought a tablet factory – and built his own empire

In 1995, Thomas Eldered was CEO of one of Pharmacia’s factories in the Stockholm area when the Swedish pharmaceutical giant, after a takeover, decided to move its production abroad. 34-year-old Thomas was facing an imminent risk of losing his job

Marie Gårdmark: Potential step change – EU regulators get to play with data

A new pilot from EMA is starting in September to assess wether the analysis of 'raw data' by regulatory authorities improves the evaluation of marketing approval for new medicines. Marie Grådmark writes in a column that she is looking forward to the outcome of the pilot to hopefully then understand if “in house” analyses actually will add value.

Anna-Karin Maltais ny vetenskaplig chef hos XNK Therapeutics

Det svenska immunterapibolaget XNK Therapeutics tar in Anna-Karin Maltais som CSO. Hon tillträder tjänsten den 17 oktober.

Anders Blanck about his 17 years at Lif: “The industry is enjoying greater public trust now"

The announcement came as a surprise to those around him, but according to the protagonist himself, the timing was excellent. Anders Blanck is now leaving Lif – a decision that has been growing for some time. “I have been pretty much married to my mission. However, I will turn 56 this autumn, and if I’m going to do something else in my professional life, now is the time,” he says.

Anna Törner: Kalashnikovs in a new guise

Thanks to resisting European regulatory authorities, Europe has been spared the opioid epidemic. In the 1960s, the situation was the opposite as the American pharmaceutical authority, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), refused to approve thalidomide

Lucy Robertshaw: Did you know Stockholm wants to be in top 5 in the world for Life Sciences?

Karolinska Institutet Solna Campus has certainly become the next “Kendall Square”, writes Lucy Robertshaw in a column.

Kirurgveckan på Kistamässan är i full gång

Kirurgveckan är fysisk igen efter pandemin. Och mässhallens takhöjd på Kistamässan gör att sorlet av alla besökare är ljudligt. Utställare från 60-talets företag, föreningar och organisationer finns på plats för att visa upp sina produkter och tjänster.

Nanologica tar in finansiering – satsar inom insulintillverkning

Bioteknikföretaget Nanologica har beslutat om en nyemission som ska ta in upp till 94 miljoner kronor. Det nya kapitalet ska användas till investeringar inom affärsområdet kromatografi.

Sweden is heavily criticised for not ordering Covid vaccine

Valneva and the EU Commission have entered into an agreement for 1.25 million doses of the company’s Covid vaccine, but Sweden has not placed an order.

Amorphous materials take centre stage when Orexo develops new formulations

Swift resolution but with maintained stability. Orexo’s new drug delivery platform tackles the problem of amorphous materials. “Our technology has the positive properties of the material, and it also cracks some of the problems,” says the company’s Research and Development Manager Robert Rönn.

EQT lägger bud på Karo Pharma

Petter Hartman: Lust som drivkraft för livslångt lärande

”För att det livslånga lärandet ska bli mer än vackra ord krävs att rätt förutsättningar finns", skriver Petter Hartman i en krönika.

BioVentureHub CEO: “Companies with a high degree of interaction achieve greater success”

For the first time since its inception, AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub can now recruit new companies, as some of its tenants have grown significantly and are leaving the hub. This is the message from the biohub’s CEO Magnus Björsne in an interview, in which he also highlights a study that points out that companies with a high degree of interaction with other companies achieve greater success.

Innovationshubben i Matfors har haft sin första kund – "Full fart nu"

Gammal utrustning rivs ut – nya toppmoderna labb för processutveckling och analys kommer på plats. På Northx Biologics i Matfors pågår arbetet för fullt med att skapa Sveriges nya innovationshubb för biologiska läkemedel. "Det händer väldigt mycket just nu, och det är väldigt kul", säger Eva-Karin Gidlund, Head of Alliance and Innovation Management på Northx, till Life Science Sweden.

Study: Our behaviour may have been guided by wishful thinking during the pandemic

A new study suggests that we systematically underestimate health risks if and when it suits us. This was especially true during the pandemic, as our risk assessments may have been guided by wishful thinking rather than a rational perception of the risks.

Björn Arvidsson: “We need robust and recognized ecosystems for continued competitiveness”

“We have idea carriers and excellent innovation opportunities, and now we must invest in creating ecosystems that provide them with even better growth opportunities,” Björn Arvidsson writes in a column.

Marie Gårdmark: New incentives for orphan products on its way

"Let’s hope that the learnings from development of new therapies for rare diseases will spill over to more common conditions, orphan products paving the wave for drug development in a broader context", writes Marie Gårdmark in a column.

Ny metod för mikroskopi öppnar genväg till nya läkemedel

Forskare vid Chalmers har utvecklat en helt ny mikroskopiteknik för att kunna studera de minsta biologiska partiklarna i sitt naturliga tillstånd – och därmed öppna vägar för snabbare utveckling av nya läkemedel och vaccin.

Han är Abilias nya produktchef

Hjälpmedelsföretaget Abilia anställer Johan Tegstam som Chief Product Officer.

Keyplants får stororder från Galderma

Keyplant ska bygga en life science-anläggning för Galderma i Uppsala, en order som för Keyplant är värd 75 miljoner euro, motsvarande cirka 787 miljoner kronor.

A growing industry in Denmark: “One new life science company a week”

The life science sector in eastern Denmark continues to grow in the number of employees, as well as the number of companies. An emerging problem is the shortage of labour, a new report reveals.