Author Archives: Julian Upton

GSK Goes DTC for London Olympics

It’s an unusual sight in the UK — a television commercial for a Big Pharma company. But among the cultural and commercial innovations being attributed to the London Olympic Games is GSK’s first UK consumer-facing corporate brand campaign, showcasing its anti-doping operations. The TV ad debuted on July 16; this week, the company’s campaign went [...]
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"Data is the New Oil": Open Access to Sweep Europe?

The European Commission has followed the UK government’s plans to make all publicly funded scientific research available for free, announcing that it will improve access to scientific information in Europe. The UK’s proposal, on the table since last year, was confirmed on Monday by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts. The scheme will make research papers [...]
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Who's the More Innovative: CROs or Pharma?

CROs and pharma battled for the innovation crown at last week’s annual PCMG’s conference. Julian Upton reports. It’s rather refreshing, in these gloomy economic times, to attend an event that bucks the trend for austerity, and the Pharmaceutical Contract Management Group (PCMG) annual conference last week certainly did that. For the last four years of its [...]
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Brennan Departure: What Now for AZ?

AstraZeneca’s shares may have fallen by as much as 6.3% following news of David Brennan’s imminent departure — the biggest intraday decline since December 17, 2010, said Bloomberg — but analysts welcomed his retirement as a good thing. “This will be received positively,” said WestLB’s Mark Belsey. “It’s time for someone to reinvigorate the pipeline.” With [...]
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UK Pharma/Bio Responds to 'Predictable' Budget

UK pharma and biopharma was quick to respond positively to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s annual Budget speech last week, despite some industry disappointment at a fiscal program widely derided as safe, neutral, and, in Andrew Goodwin of Ernst & Young’s words, “one of the most predictable” of recent times. 
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