Austerity leads to healthcare cuts in Portugal
When PharmaBoardroom came to Portugal in 2007, price cuts, payment delays and changes to the health system with each successive government were but the first indications for the pharmaceutical…
Portugal: austerity’s impact on distribution
Between Portugal’s two main distribution channels of hospitals and pharmacies, hospitals have suffered in particular. As the pharmaceutical industry’s largest customer, it has been critical for government to work with…
The future of innovation in Ireland
“If you look at the cuts in the public sector, the science budget has been relatively lightly touched. This sends a signal at a very high level that science, the…
Ireland: White elephant syndrome
Cormac Callaghan, founder and managing director of Primecore, a portfolio and program management consultancy based in Dublin and Cambridge, Massachusetts, has managed large-scale change programs for the pharmaceutical industry for…
Biotech as business: the Bavarian Nordic story
If there is one thing that successful Danish companies have in common with one another, it is the clear recognition of abundant opportunities outside the motherland. “Danish companies’ strengths…
The 3 T’s: Positioning Ireland for FDI
What makes Ireland attractive for FDI? As the former general manager of Genzyme’s Waterford site, Pat O’Sullivan explains that a longstanding 12.5% corporate tax rate (that isn’t going anywhere)…
Ireland: up the ladder
Lilly set up in Ireland three decades ago by purchasing a farm. In its early days, the operation produced intermediaries for small-molecule drugs. Nearby, Pfizer was manufacturing citric acid for…
Ireland: Cut costs or add value?
It is widely acknowledged that pharmaceutical manufacturing operations have entered into a period of significant cost reduction. Service providers like Dalkia—a French energy services company that has built its Irish…
From foreign investment, Irish companies
“The government’s vision has always been for indigenous companies to develop from the expertise brought in by FDI—and we are seeing that happening now.” Joe Costello, Minister for Trade &…
Ireland: Punching above its weight
“The elements that have made Ireland attractive for decades are still here. The big difference since 2007, however, is the cost base. If you are building a pharma plant…
The Nordics: Making a Virtue of Necessity
“The Nordic region—the ‘quiet North’ as it could have been called—counterbalances the turbulence in Southern Europe,” says Zinta Krumins, managing director Nordics, Boehringer Ingelheim, when asked about the relevance of…
Austria – An Ensemble of Collaboration
Historically, Austria was the dominant political power in Central Europe under the Habsburg dynasty which ruled until World War I. Although the 20th century has been marked by significant shake…