Pharma Veterans

Pickings by Pharma Veterans Newsletter #29 – August 17, 2025 This newsletter is the offering from Asrar Qureshi, Founder of Pharma Veterans. It will bring to you a selection of Pharma Industry news and developments from Pakistan, region, and the world. It will be published fortnightly on alternate Sundays. For queries and sending information, please send email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com. SPECIAL NOTE The objective of this newsletter is to share important news from the US and Europe, where exciting new research and development in drugs is going on. News from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are included to show where Pakistan stands vis-à-vis the region. This is done in order that Pharma Industry in Pakistan may take necessary actions for course setting and long-term strategy making. PAKISTAN • Highnoon Laboratories Limited has entered into a strategic partnership with Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Bangladesh. This alliance marks a...

Foreign Aid Cuts and Global Impact – Part 1 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1121 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1121 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here. Preamble Over the past year, nearly every major donor nation—led by the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and several European countries—has announced significant reductions in foreign aid budgets. What are these nations scaling back, and what does it mean for NGOs, communities, and the future of global development? Let’s have a look at the scale of the cuts and their ripple effects. The Context Global humanitarian aid continued to decline in 2024 with a funding shortfall stuck at a record high as new and existing conflicts and multiplying climate disasters left more than 320 million people in need of aid. In 2024, $21.2 billion was ra...

Mental Health Challenges of Public Protests – The Case of Bangladesh – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1009 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1009 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Photos Taken from Various Sources This post has been inspired by an article by Md Omar Faruk from Bangladesh, published in The Lancet, October 2024 issue just published. Link at the end. Other references also mentioned. Preamble Public protests are a part of daily life in Pakistan. People come out on the streets due to dissatisfaction, anger, disagreement, and to voice their position on key issues. Some public protests are staged by parties to get into/stay in the news; some are staged to get some material benefit from the government. Public protests organized by the public against injustice are relatively uncommon in Pakist...

Pharma Landscape in Nearby Countries – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #825 Dear Colleagues!  This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #825 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on  WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Photo Credit: Ihsan Aditywarman Photo Credit: Barathan Amuthan Photo Credit: Irsyad Ibrahim Photo Credit: Rezoana Amin Rayna Pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan has grown exponentially since 1990s. It is not just about volume; the industry has provided great relief to people by making generic drugs available at affordable prices. Presently, our local manufacturing caters for over 90% of local demand. Medicines are still being imported but in categories where local products are not available. Much of the growth of local pharma is undesirable fat; 100 – 200 branded ge...

WIPO Global Innovation Index Report 2022 – Part 6 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #738 Dear Colleagues!  This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #738 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on  WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. These blog posts are based on WIPO – World Intellectual Property Rights Report on Global Innovation Index 2022. Photo Credit: Aa Dil Photo Credit: Ishay Botbol Photo Credit: Mumtahina Tanni In the last post of this series, we compare Pakistan with India and Bangladesh.                             PAKISTAN INDIA          BANGLADESH GII Rank             #87 #40         102 Population 225 mill...

End of Year 2021 – Note 1 – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #577 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #577. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Another year is closing on us. It is customary to look back and review the year closing by, I would like to do a bit of that and some more.  There are some recurring events which keep us connected to the past. Closest to today was 16 December which was linked to the secession of East Pakistan on this date in 1971, exactly 50 years ago. The other which happened seven years ago was the tragic event of Army Public School, Peshawar. Both required deep soul searching, but we did not go beyond grieving, making empty claims of rooting out terrorism and let the intensity of event wane o...