Large-scale destructions of infrastructure, emigration and continued (albeit somewhat subsiding) violence continue to weigh on Syria's economic conditions. Although we expect a return to modest growth in 2019, we highlight that Syrian nominal GDP will remain far below pre-civil war levels for many years. Before 2011, the performance of the Syrian economy had been relatively [...]
Disparities in healthcare access still persist. Almost 15 years after Morocco’s major healthcare reforms aimed at reducing health inequalities across the country, access to healthcare services for low-income and rural portions of the population remains challenging . Reportedly les s than half of the population have healthcare coverage across the country, while this proportion falls [...]
Short-Term Outlook (three-to-six months) The Indian rupee has appreciated by 3.9% since September 2018 forecast. This is on the back of improving terms of trade following a sharp drop in global oil prices. The rupee's average of INR68.40/USD in 2018 is largely in line with our INR68.50/USD average forecast for the year. We forecast the rupee to average [...]
The US's planned withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on February 2 risks paving the way for a major missile build-up in Europe by the US and Russia, and in Asia by the US and China. The treaty was signed between the US and USSR in 1987 and forbade both sides from developing and deploying ground-launched [...]
Eli Lilly and Loxo Oncology have entered into a definitive agreement for Lilly to acquire Loxo Oncology for USD235.00 per share in cash, or approximately USD8.0bn. We also noted, in 2018, that Lilly would undertake small to mid-size acquisitions, and this is likely the just the first of Lilly's 2019 deals, whilst expected to be the biggest. The transaction [...]
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has announced new research collaborations in immuno-oncology (IO), an area of key strategic focus for the company. Through these collaborations, Takeda seeks to accelerate the discovery of next-generation cancer immunotherapies, including novel cell therapy approaches that may provide important opportunities for addressing the needs of patients with hard-to-treat cancers. Takeda is currently aiming [...]
Novartis has offered to acquire CellforCure in order to expand its manufacturing capacity for innovative cell and gene therapies. The proposed acquisition builds on an existing partnership between the two firms which involves contract manufacturing of Novartis' CAR-T cell therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel). Specific cost details have not yet been announced; however, Novartis has stated that it expects the deal to be [...]
Marketing of pharmaceutical products is of serious ethical concerns. Companies’ sales representatives should be ‘adequately trained and possess sufficient medical and technical knowledge to present information about the products in an accurate and responsible manner’. Sales representatives are not allowed to exaggerate the capabilities of the product. Marketing of pharmaceutical products may bring potential risks [...]
