Welcome to the January 2019 issue of Pharmaceutical Market Europe.
Just a few days into the New Year, the $74bn acquisition of Celgene by BMS has woken us all up from our post-festive slump with a bang. The merger is the fourth biggest ever, and could spark more multi-billion dollar M&A deals over the next 12 months.
2018 was a remarkable year for the industry, with a record number of approvals made by the FDA, driven by the sector’s innovation-driven output, and the US regulator’s determination to update its own processes.
We can expect more of the same in 2019 – but can equally expect more political instability in the US and Europe. President Trump’s demand for money to build a border wall has caused a government shutdown in the US, a suspension of activity that is threatening to bring the FDA and other agencies to a standstill.
Brexit and other populist and nationalist eruptions will destabilise Europe, just as global economic indicators turn negative. While the UK’s exit might still never happen, the European Medicine Agency’s exit from the UK to the Netherlands will definitely go ahead by 29 March – with the regulator and the industry both hoping disruption can be kept to a minimum.
Meanwhile the UK has a brand new pharma pricing agreement, and a new Long-term Plan for the NHS – although in reality these both build on the direction of travel established over the last few years.
We’ve dedicated this issue to looking ahead at what 2019 holds for the sector, including a preview of some of the most exciting pharma launches of the year, and insights on how the industry should adapt these launches to a changing healthcare environment.
Andrew McConaghie
Group Editor, PME
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