New rules for diagnostic products, but who will certify them? “An extreme shortage area”

In less than two weeks, new and stricter EU rules will enter into force for thousands of products used in important diagnoses of, among other things, cancer and Covid-19. However, not one single institute in the entire Nordic region is able to certify the diagnostics companies’ products according to the new regulations. “In the end, it risks affecting patients,” says Anna Lefèvre Skjöldebrand, CEO of Swedish Medtech.

Lucy Robertshaw: Are we in the perfect storm?

“Is there a perfect storm on the horizon again as elective surgeries were cancelled due to patients being admitted with Covid-19? We now have a long backlog of people who are presenting with chronic diseases that need to access healthcare again”, writes Lucy Robertshaw in a column.

This is how Anette Steenberg will put Medicon Valley on the world map

Anette Steenberg has been CEO of the Swedish-Danish life science cluster Medicon Valley Alliance since 1 November last year. Life Science Sweden called her to ask about her visions and the challenges of merging the worlds of Swedish and Danish life science.

CAR-T therapies give continued hope: “Almost half of the patients have become disease-free”

When the first CAR-T therapies appeared, hopes were raised for the effective treatment for critically ill cancer patients. After a somewhat sluggish start, about 90 patients in Sweden have now been treated with this method. “Almost half of them have become disease-free, at least of those treated with Yescarta, which are the ones I know best,” says Gunilla Enblad, Chairman of the national working group for CAR-T treatment.

“Together Stockholm-Uppsala and Medicon Valley can make Scandinavia a leading life science region”

“Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland all have national life science strategies, but the Swedish strategy is the only one explicitly emphasizing the Nordic dimension. But what if the leading life science nations, Denmark and Sweden, joined forces, took the lead and pioneered Nordic life science collaboration? Wouldn´t we then be able to "bake a bigger cake?", writes Anette Steenberg and Ulf G. Andersson in a debate article.

"Transparens är centralt kopplat till hållbarhetsfrågor"

Pauline Göthberg leder regionernas arbete med hållbar upphandling. Trots att många brister har åtgärdats under senaste åren har pandemin förstärkt riskerna med förekomsten av bland annat barnarbete längre ner i leveranskedjorna

VD:n om att bygga världsföretag: ”Utveckla inte läkemedel för Nobelpris”

För att bygga ett medicinskt företag i världsklass krävs fyra grundelement, enligt Ascelia Pharmas vd Magnus Corfitzen. – Tre av dem blir ni inte överraskade av. Den fjärde, I don´t know, sa han när han talade på The Future of Swedish & Danish Life Science.

Anna Törner: You won’t find this many Concorde projects anywhere else

"Suddenly Concorde projects seem reasonable in life science because it´s about life and death", writes Anna Törner in a column.

Grundare och känd forskare lämnar Alligator Bioscience

Alligator Bioscience grundare Carl Borrebaeck lämnar bolaget i protest mot valberedningens förslag på ny styrelse. ”Företaget dräneras på immunonkologisk kompetens”, säger han.

Hjälp - svensk industri efter i digitaliseringen

En internationell undersökning som it-konsultbolaget Experis gjort visar att svenska företag digitaliserar och automatiserar sin verksamhet långsammare än jämförbara länder.

Marie Gårdmark: Big data evidence generation drives change in the EU regulatory system

Rapid developments in technology have led to the possibility for the generation and analysis of vast volumes of data. Will the availability of big data lead to fundamental changes to the regulatory system? In a column Marie Gårdmark, CEO and Senior Consultant at RegSmart Life Science, develops her views on this subject.

Column: Why there cannot be a complete cure for cancer – but there is certainly another way!

"Is there a new way we need to be thinking about how to prevent cancer?" Lucy Robertshaw reflects upon which is the smartest way to beat cancer.

Anna Törner: Ingenstans finns så många Concordeprojekt

Plötsligt känns det rimligt med Concordeprojekt inom life science – för att det handlar om liv och död, skriver Anna Törner i en krönika.

Björn Arvidsson: Let's build on the positive momentum

Progress needs narratives and heroes, and more than ever, going into the new year feels like an opportunity for a fresh start.

New diagnostic test soon ready for the market

Combining two drug delivery strategies to improve bioavailability

Danish researchers hope to increase the bioavailability of low solubility drugs.

Delivering drugs with small devices

There are many challenges to overcome when delivering a drug orally. Getting the drug to survive the low pH of the ventricle and being released at the correct site in the gastrontestinal tract are two of them.

Marie Gårdmark: Do EMA and FDA talk to each other?

Of course they do! The collaboration started already in 2003, writes Marie Gårdmark in a column.

Anna Törner: När faran slår till visar sig vårt innersta jag

Coronapandemin fyller alla kriterier för att klassas som en ”svart svan”, skriver Anna Törner i en krönika.

Helena Strigård: The rise of the community

Sweden Bio´s CEO is looking back at the last decade of development in the industry. Something has shifted in the interdependence between small and larger companies.

Krönika: Collaboration across borders

Coordination of world-class research facilities

Four unique world-class research facilities are located just a few hours apart. Properly utilised, a Nordic centre for world-leading life science innovation and research could become a reality. Kajsa M Paulsson is the project leader for HALOS, driving the idea forward.

Peab-grundarens stiftelse ger 22 miljoner till life science

Nya behandlingmetoder av cancer, blodbrist och herpesvirus, nya tekniker för kartläggning av gener och upptäckt av sårinfektioner och ett växtbaserat järntillskott - detta är exempel på de 7 forskningsprojekt som under 2019 får anslag från Mats Paulssonstiftelserna.

It´s time to establish relations

Communication with the patient is the key to future healthcare, writes Hanna Brodda, editor in chief of Life Science Sweden.