Biosimilars: what are they and what do they mean for the NHS? January 31, 2019 What are biosimilars? A biological medicine is a type of treatment for long-term medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis that’s given via a drip or an injection pen. A biosimilar medicine is simply a newer version of the original biological drug: as the name suggests, it’s highly similar to EMA-approved biological medicines in terms of safety, purity and potency, and it works in much the same way. There are no clinically meaningful differences, just minor differences in clinically inactive components being allowed, and they have to go through the same rigorous scientific assessments before becoming available on the market. So how are they different to biological drugs? Well, instead of being created using chemical synthesis, biosimilars are synthesised from living organisms or their products, such as hormones, proteins yeast or bacteria. As a result, the molecules within the drug could vary slightly between different batches, which means research and development takes an average of about 10 years. In addition, biosimilars can only become available once a branded drug patent expires – and according to Pfizer, approximately 100 biologic products will lose patent or other protections by 2022, which means newer and cheaper biosimilar products will soon become available. written by GKA Read more
Five reasons recruitment has been difficult for your fieldwork project January 28, 2019 Are you finding your medical fieldwork recruitment harder than you expected? Or perhaps you are unsure as to why your recruitment agency is taking so long to recruit your sample? Don’t worry – recruitment can be tricky at the best of times, and when it comes to sourcing high-quality respondents for healthcare market research, it can be even more frustrating. From busy HCPs to rare therapy areas, there’s so much to think about that sometimes when it comes to figuring where you might have tripped up, you can’t see for looking. And that’s exactly why we’ve written this blog! Read on and discover the five most common reasons why your medical fieldwork recruitment might be a little bit more difficult than you expected – and what you can do to fix it! written by GKA Read more
The history of the NHS January 24, 2019 Technically, the NHS officially began on 5th July 1948. Prior to this, local governments were responsible for running their hospitals, which meant that many hospitals weren’t adequately equipped, struggled to cater for people’s needs and were inaccessible for the poor. It also meant the quality of care varied hugely from place to place, with rural areas having very limited access to hospitals and healthcare. written by GKA Read more
The arrival of 5G and what it means for healthcare December 18, 2018 Thanks to apps, wearables and other connected devices, patients have never been in more control of their health. All of this new technology in the healthcare industry has huge benefits for stakeholders. So, if the industry wants to keep up with patient demands, it needs to reduce costs and improve efficiency – and next generation networks such as 5G are set to be a pivotal part of this transformation. written by GKA Read more
From the patient’s perspective; Narcolepsy December 11, 2018 Narcolepsy is a rare neurological condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times. It means the brain is unable to regulate sleeping and waking patterns normally, resulting in excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks where sufferers fall asleep suddenly and without warning, cataplexy (a temporary loss of muscle control resulting in weakness and possible collapse), sleep paralysis, and excessive dreaming and waking in the night. Although narcolepsy doesn’t cause serious or long-term physical health problems, it can have a significant impact on daily life and be difficult to cope with emotionally. In this blog, we interview a patient who took part in a narcolepsy study, in order to humanise our patient journey research. written by GKA Read more
Who’s who in Alzheimer’s? A medical fieldwork guide December 7, 2018 Alzheimer’s is a physical disease that affects the brain and is the most common type of dementia in the UK. Over time, the disease causes proteins to build up in the brain and form structures called’plaques’ and’tangles’. These proteins lead to the loss of connections between nerve cells, eventually resulting in the death of the cells and loss of brain tissue. Additionally, Alzheimer’s sufferers also have a shortage of vital chemicals which help to transmit signals around the brain, meaning that the signals aren’t transmitted effectively. written by GKA Read more