Reamonn Madden

This week, we officially opened our new Merck Life Science facility in Blarney, Ireland. This milestone is more than the launch of a new site. It’s our in-region-for-region approach in action: manufacturing closer to where our customers operate to strengthen supply resilience, shorten lead times, and build even stronger partnerships. What makes this milestone truly meaningful is its impact. Blarney will help ensure reliable access to critical filtration technologies that our customers need to deliver life-saving therapies to patients. At the same time, it is our first climate-neutral manufacturing site – powered by renewable electricity and designed with advanced water recycling and CO₂ reduction technologies. Thank you to our teams, partners, and customers for making this possible. Together, we are strengthening Europe’s role in global biopharma – and impacting life and health with science. It’s what we do. 

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This news is a real blow to the UK’s life sciences ambition. No one wants to hear that successful and innovative companies like MSD are reducing their investment and footprint in the UK.  This news must be used as an opportunity to reflect on what factors are driving companies to make such difficult decisions, and what this country can do to ensure it is attracting the high-quality investment we need and not driving it away. I continue to believe that the UK has the potential to lead globally in developing the next generation of medicines and vaccines, but without a more competitive environment for investment, we risk losing out to other countries that are prepared to make bold moves to attract internationally mobile investment. https://on.ft.com/3VFbNpI

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Biosimilars are no longer the quiet corner of Pharma. The European Commission has just approved USYMRO® (ustekinumab), Bio-Thera’s Stelara® biosimilar, to be commercialized by Gedeon Richter in Europe. On the surface, another biosimilar launch. But look closer: Richter is reinventing itself. Once a “generics-first” company, it now mixes CNS royalties, women’s health innovation, and a growing biologics arm. Asset-light strategy. Bio-Thera builds and manufactures; Richter focuses on what it does best, commercial execution. Pipeline stacking. Denosumab, tocilizumab, teriparatide, and now ustekinumab, a steady cadence of launches. It has become clear that the biosimilar space is getting crowded: Sandoz, Amgen, Samsung, Biocon, Celltrion, Stada, and now Chinese players all chasing the same off-patent biologics. Discounts deepen, margins tighten. Can smart partnering and commercial muscle beat pure scale? Richter’s bet is yes… and USYMRO® will be a test case. 🔔 Follow for insights  ♻️ Share if you find it interesting #biosimilars #pharma #generics #strategy

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In a recent interview with The Times, our CEO Paul Hudson highlighted a critical issue facing the UK's life sciences sector. For too long, we've relied on our world-leading research institutions as the primary driver of pharmaceutical investment. But is this enough? The hard truth is that the UK is failing to capitalise on its strategic advantage in life sciences. Our academic excellence has masked decades of underinvestment in innovative medicines. With evaluation metrics stuck in the 20th century and medicines budgets lagging other developed nations, we're at a pivotal moment. Following the recent breakdown of VPAG negotiations, we have defaulted to an intolerable reality, where only 37% of patients in this country have full access to new medicines compared to 75% in Italy or 90% in Germany. British patients deserve better. At Sanofi, we remain committed to working with the Government to achieve its ambition of becoming the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030. But this vision will only succeed with an immediate return to the negotiating table. For the sake of patients and for the vital role that British science can play in discovering the next miracles of science - let's act now. #SanofiUK #LifeSciences #PatientAccess Paul Hudson Alex Ralph https://lnkd.in/e8Qg5wbN

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The most interesting thing this week: AZ's 5 domain Protocol Complexity Tool (PCT) is transforming how we design trials - simpler, faster, and more patient- and site-friendly. Go deeper: (1) AZ team, including our very own Alina Pszczolkowska, developed the 5-domain PCT to quantify and visualize protocol complexity, enabling smarter design decisions. (2) Impact so far: 75% of assessed trials simplified, $10–50M annual cost avoidance, and ~9,500 FTE hours saved. (3) Beyond numbers: PCT fosters early cross-functional collaboration, aligns governance, and improves trial success potential. https://lnkd.in/e_wwCn_r

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Patients deserve better. The UK Government’s Voluntary Scheme for Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) mid-scheme review has ended without agreement. This is a disappointing outcome – for patients, for the NHS, and for our industry. At Novartis UK, our purpose is to bring innovative medicines to patients to help improve and extend lives. But the current UK environment makes this increasingly difficult. High VPAG rates, outdated NICE thresholds unchanged since 1999, and low investment in medicines are preventing access to the most advanced therapies. Without reform, we cannot fully deliver on our mission. We entered discussions with a genuine commitment to shape a future where innovation reaches patients faster. But the final proposals did not address the fundamental barriers to access or the long-standing underinvestment in medicines. This goes beyond policy. Patients are missing out, the NHS is under pressure, and the UK’s life sciences sector is losing ground. There is a promise to increase spending on innovative medicines, but if we are serious about change, we need to move faster. Patients should not have to wait a decade. Medicines drive better outcomes, more efficient care and empowered patients. Reforming VPAG and NICE processes is essential to ensure no one is left behind. This cannot be the end of the conversation. We’re still here, ready to work with Government and others to find a better path forward – because together we can still fix this. Read more in my interview with Bloomberg: https://lnkd.in/dxu2XXBd #NovartisOK

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Ultra-Personalized Genome Editing in Newborns (“N-of-1 Therapies“): Scientists have used a genome-editing technique called base editing to correct a mutation in a baby who had been diagnosed with a rare genetic disease.  Around 10,000 rare diseases are estimated to exist, affecting more than 300 million people globally. The rapid advance of nucleic-acid-based genetic therapies, supported by robust clinical validation, is providing opportunities for the development of tailored treatments and early intervention of these diseases. The newly developed gene correction process of an N=1 personalised genome editing strategy has successfully used adenine base editing delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to correct a mutation in a newborn diagnosed with a rare genetic disease in the gene CPS1 (carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I), achieving this bespoke therapy in just over six months through academia-industry collaboration.  This approach highlights the potential of ultra-personalized genomic medicines for treating rare diseases, emphasizing the need for regulatory pathways, funding models, shared infrastructures, and integration of genomic sequencing into newborn screening to enable early diagnosis and intervention. The bespoke therapy with kayjayguran abengcemeran (K-abe) was first presented on May 15th, 2025 at the Annual Meeting of ASGCT (American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy) in New Orleans and publised on the same day in the New England Journal of Medicine. It needs to be shown how widely this approach can be applied to the many other patients in need for these treatments. Original publication(s): https://lnkd.in/egCgzUj6 https://lnkd.in/eC-xAQVz https://lnkd.in/eFzgG-_S Further reading: https://lnkd.in/eKsVhRt7 https://lnkd.in/e_QsKzWS https://lnkd.in/eN4yBVpF https://lnkd.in/eSqNnXNB https://lnkd.in/eBEG2N8c https://lnkd.in/eZNQb3SF https://lnkd.in/emTgdTEC https://lnkd.in/eWAnkVQr

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Multiomics is transforming how we decode human biology. As a founding member of the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, our teams at AstraZeneca are using insights from population-scale plasma proteomics to better quantify cardiometabolic and renal risk in obesity.   This year at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), we presented a study evaluating a classifier that integrates body fat percentage and waist circumference, anchored by circulating protein levels. This fusion of proteomics and real-world data is translating to potential patient benefits through sharper risk stratification and enhanced endotypes.

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