Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Investing in Pharmaceutical Companies
The pharmaceutical companies seem to be immune to the economic ups and downs that countries across the world go through. Illness and disease are an ongoing thing in life and it is due to this reason that the pharmaceutical companies have always been in business and were least affected by the economic ups and downs that have been experienced by different countries in the recent past. The global economies have been affected by recession, and most of the industries have been affected by the impact of recession. Banks have declared bankruptcy, automobile industry has got affected and even the service sector has laid-off so many people and this has all been a result of the recent recession.
However, the pharmaceutical industry has been able to sustain itself very well during all this time and continues to do so. Although e have seen mergers and acquisitions happening even in the pharmaceutical industry, yet the effect of recession on this industry has been much less when compared with the other industries.
For people thinking about investing in the pharmaceutical companies, there are a few pointers they might wish to know:
· Investing in this companies is not fool proof however if you compare it with any other industry, it would surely be rated as one of the most secure investments.
· Recession has not spared any segment or industry in the market today, each and every industry has felt the impact of the economic slowdown however all the different industries have felt the impact in varying degrees. The pharmaceutical industry has been affected the least but it too has not been able to totally escape the impact of recession.
· Illness and diseases are surely not affected by recession and that is one reason why the pharmaceutical companies have been able to comfortably sustain themselves during the economic slowdown. We have seen pharmaceutical companies merging and have also seen many people being laid off in this industry. Despite of these facts the pharmaceutical industry has shown less fluctuations in comparison to the banking and automobile industries.
· Investing in the pharmaceutical companies is still considered to be a very safe option in comparison to the automobile or banking sector. The reason for this is that the automobile industry has seen the shut down and merging of certain companies and the banking sector has seen the acquisition of many banks and also the filing of bankruptcy by some eminent banks in the past few years. While the pharmaceutical companies have also shown signs of being affected by the economic slowdown the magnitude of impact on pharmaceutical companies has been very low.
Keeping these few pointers in mind the general feeling in the investment market is that the pharmaceutical companies are a decent investment with safe return, especially in today's economically slow pace. Therefore most people are now skeptical about investing in other industries and choose to invest in the pharmaceutical companies so that they can experience the safety of their investment and not be bothered about a sudden shut down.
To find out more about investing in pharma companies you can go to http://www.medisan.com/. They also provide with many information and tips investing.
Major Pharmaceutical Companies
Pharmaceutical companies have a major social responsibility while performing on a profitable motive. Several public platforms are shared by major pharmaceutical companies for this very purpose.
The pharmaceutical industry has several issues to contend with for profitable survival. The United States does not have regulations for drug prices, but several other regulations monitor the functioning of pharmaceutical companies in the country. Fierce competition from illegal drug imports is also an issue that cannot be ignored by major pharmaceutical companies.
There are several associations that represent pharmaceutical manufacturers. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations is an organization that is at the apex. It is a non-profit and non-governmental organization. Its members are several research based pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine companies from both USA and other countries as well.
Organizations such as these, work for a global policy environment that is conducive to innovation in the pharmaceutical field. A survey of major pharmaceutical manufacturers indicates that collectively the industry has almost 700 medicines in the pipeline. These medicines are aimed at providing relief to people suffering from various diseases like HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart diseases and stroke among others.
The existence of a platform like an international association provides opportunities to major pharmaceutical companies to have collaborative relationships among themselves and foster industry growth in such a manner that provides avenues for overall improvement in public health while being commercially profitable.
One of the major pharmaceutical companies is Eli Lily, a global player. Their specialties include drugs for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, endocrinal disorders, diabetes and several infectious diseases. Cephalosporin, erythromycin, insulin and Prozac are among Eli Lily's major pharmaceutical breakthroughs. Pfizer is another major pharmaceutical company that has contributed a lot to alleviate human and animal suffering. Based in New York, Pfizer has been around since 1849.
Parke-Davis, Proctor & Gamble, Bristol-Myers Squib, Johnson & Johnson, 3M Company, Mars Incorporated, Bayer AG, Quest Diagnostics, Tyco International and Cardinal Health Incorporated are a few of the major pharmaceutical companies in the USA.
Pharmaceuticals [http://www.Pharmaceuticals-Web.com] provides detailed information on Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Companies, Pharmaceutical Jobs, Pharmaceutical Naming and more. Pharmaceuticals is affiliated with Mexican Online Pharmacy.
The Rise of the Indian Pharmaceutical Companies
The Indian Pharmaceutical industry is the 4th largest industries in the world. It consists of around 20,000 businesses. Pharmaceutical companies in India are on a roll both on domestic as well as international grounds. Pharmaceutical companies boast of skillful workforce along with the latest technology in use. These features help to expand their market and business overseas.
The latest trend in the pharmaceutical business is the tie-ups between Multi National Companies and Indian Pharmaceutical companies. These MNCs turn to their Indian counterparts to achieve cost-efficiency in terms of R & D. Besides offering skill and technology, offer affordable Research and Development facilities. For example, mergers and acquisitions between MNCs and Indian pharmaceutical companies are common for research on third world diseases like cancer, AIDS, etc.
Moreover, India is gradually moving up from being just a service provider to a value-add in profits. Here, MNCs purchase / license new products or share Intellectual Property. Pharmaceutical companies of India are slowly becoming a popular destination for collaborative research and development.
Adding to this is the success of the Indian pharmaceutical industry as an exporter of high quality generic drugs. The companies owe this success to the system of product patents which were introduced on 1stJanuary, 2005. Now, the Indian pharmaceutical industry exports drugs to approximately 65 countries around the world with the United States as its biggest market. The industry's export was worth US 3.75 billion dollars and growing at a compound annual rate of 22.7% according to the National Pharmaceuticals Policy for 2006.
However, the these companies can hope to achieve more by discovering untapped markets both in India as well as abroad. Another area that calls for attention is the Research & Development department. The government needs to invest more for Research & Development as innovative drugs are high on demand.
Also, the relationship between pharmaceuticals and biotechnology in India needs to be more cemented. This is because biotechnology has a lot of room for growth with the rise in vaccines and bio - services. Lacks of funding and skilled employees are the obstacles for the development of biotechnology in Indian pharmaceutical companies. However, a wind of change is expected as the drugs go off patent, giving the Indian pharmaceutical companies an opportunity to upgrade their manufacturing capabilities.
To conclude, the companies have a lot of potential in store. It is estimated that the Indian pharmaceutical industry will soon enter the top 10 list of the pharmaceutical industries in the world.
Pharmaceutical companies of India are growing its pharmaceutical business to keep the feet stuck in world pharma industry.
Pharmaceutical Companies
Pharmaceutical companies are companies licensed to discover, manufacture and distribute pharmaceutical medicines or drugs. Currently there are about 200 major pharmaceutical companies in the world and some of them use biotechnology to produce drugs. This particular technique uses biological systems or living organisms to obtain derivatives. Drugs thus obtained are typically known as biopharmaceuticals, which are turning out to be another important aspect for the companies. In recent times technology has developed more efficient methods and informatics systems through which the companies study diseases that cause infections and other symptoms. This study is further used to invent new medicines by identifying active ingredients of traditional medicine.
Pharmaceutical companies have full-fledged laboratories that are equipped with latest infrastructure, wherein chemists and scientists work continuously to identify factors such as genetics and cellular structure that play an important role in various diseases. Establishing this facility is an expensive affair. The companies are required to have post approval, sales surveillance and a license from the government prior to clinical test of the drugs. Clinical testing involves three stages, of which the first stage determines the safety and tolerability of the drug. The second and third stages determine the effectiveness of these drugs. Extensive drug tests are done on animals before they are administered to humans.
Physicians play a major role in the sales of medicines of pharmaceutical companies. It is through their prescriptions, that medicines reach patients and have a potential for widening the market. Hence, these companies advertise and market their products to the physicians first. Pharmaceutical marketing is complex and requires indigenous discipline.
Some of the major pharmaceutical companies that are known all over the world are Pfizer, Glaxosmithkline and Sanofi-Aventis. These companies patent all their products, as the risk of forgery is substantially large in this field. Development in the field of medicine has enabled doctors to provide solutions for diseases, which were incurable earlier. Pharmaceutical companies play the role of lifesavers.
Pharmaceuticals [http://www.Pharmaceuticals-Web.com] provides detailed information on Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Companies, Pharmaceutical Jobs, Pharmaceutical Naming and more. Pharmaceuticals is affiliated with Mexican Online Pharmacy.
How Web Document Management Software Empowers Pharmaceutical Companies
In the pharmaceutical industry the clock is ticking at the rate of warp-speed "drug years." Pharmaceutical industries have 8 (possibly up to 12 years) to discover, conceptualize, define, develop and commercialize--as opposed to market--pre-market drug information. This process of course results in a financial tab of about $200-$900 million dollars--numbers that are subject to vary depending on your sources and on the amount of time taken for the various phases of drug development. At any rate however the monetary costs of a new start-to-finish drug (and more so for failed drugs) are likely to be impressively enormous. No matter how you look at it the pharmaceutical wallet becomes reciprocally thinner as the "drug-years" clock continues to tick.
Drug Patents: How can pharmaceutical companies achieve the greatest patent advantage without compromising patients?
Another motivating factor for pharmaceutical industries to rush the clock are patent laws. Drug patents, of course, create a window--a very large window if strategized correctly--to a monopolized gain on the sale of a new drug. Current laws place patent years at around 17 so if a company spends 11 years in the development phases it has exactly six uninterrupted years to achieve market gain to the fullest--no easy task for even the BIG guys.
Both financial costs and patent pressures cause pharmaceutical companies to rush, to lose their opportunity for sales completely, or worst case scenario, to cause eventual problems, even death, for patients. How can pharmaceutical companies achieve the greatest patent advantage without compromising patients?
Enter Web Document Management
Web document management, when utilized in small, medium, or large pharmaceutical companies and in conjunction with their satellites and CROs can literally shave drug years off the pharmaceutical clock. Web document management solutions combined with web process, quality, regulatory, training and submissions preparation solutions can subtract even more drug years leaving more free-for-all patent time. Best of all however these solutions systematize and automate solutions, trend information and make it easier to get quality, regulation, training, documentation and all company processes under control so that patients stay safe and pharmaceutical companies gain.
As in so many instances technology steps in and effortlessly ties two endeavors together with increased effectiveness on both ends of the spectrum.
One Solution at a Time: Start with Web Document Management
For pharmaceutical companies that cannot invest in all of these solutions at once, start with a web document management solution. A web document management solution will and should be able to manage tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of documents from lab notebook entries, study data, biomarkers, formulation studies, statistical analyses, GLP compliance docs, patent analyses, lead generation reports, market analysis, financial statements, manufacturing scenarios, patent filings, product commercial path scenarios, IND submission strategies, toxicology reports, templates, etc., etc.
The web document management solution should also provide web-based collaboration features, the technology to quickly scan paper documents into the system, a user-friendly interface, tracking/audit trail features, 21 CFR Part 11 compatibility, revision controls, reporting features and compatibility with training software controls. The system should also be compatible with common ERP solutions.
Conclusion
When used correctly technology (such as the increasingly popular web document management software solutions) is always an enabler and essentially allows pharmaceutical companies the ability to get the data they need faster so that the right decisions can be made for both patients and the interests of the company and its employees. Pharmaceutical regulatory, quality, IT and management representatives should select four or five web document management software vendors and compare them seriously. The web document management software vendor chosen could be the means of a pharmaceutical company's success after its next successful IND.
Marci Crane is a copywriter at MasterControl in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about web document management in pharmaceutical environments, please feel free to contact a MasterControl representative.