Personalised Medicine

Personalised medicines are often held up as the holy grail of the pharmaceutical industry. For sure, increasingly sophisticated diagnostic tests are allowing companies to better distinguish between responder/non-responder patient groups.

The pharma industry has witnessed some players making strategic moves into the diagnostics area, driven by advances in science, cost pressure and demands from global medicines regulators.

The panellists debated the likely impact of companies moving from retrospective to prospective trials. They also spoke about the lack of infrastructure at the FDA and the EMA needed to assess increasingly complex diagnostic tests.

While few companies will want to bring wholesale diagnostics capabilities in-house, the panel agreed that the convergence between the therapeutics and diagnostics sectors, and various social monitoring systems, is likely to gather pace.

Healthcare reform
After President Barack Obama's inauguration this year, healthcare reform became the big talking point in US politics. The Round Table dissects the various pros and cons.

Personalised medicine
The Round Table explores the likelihood of Big Pharma diversifying into personalised medicines.

Scrip Outlook for 2010
The Round Table concludes with a look at what 2010 holds in store for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

China
China, like the US, has also been concentrating on healthcare reform this year. The Round Table discusses what effect this new fertile market will have on the industry.

The Round Table
The Round Table dissects this year's many alliances and partnerships and the effects on the various companies undertaking them.