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One of the advantages of being the Editor of a journal such as EPC is that it gives one the opportunity to acquire facts to share at the dinner table. For example, during a discussion about EU enlargement I will be able to inform friends of the fact that the nine new official languages cover three different computer character sets. This is perhaps more impressive than being able to actually name the 10 new member states - or, on reflection, maybe not!
Having visited Prague for the DIA meeting in March, it would be easy to assume that the assimilation of the new countries into the EU would be straightforward, but this is not so. Some of the potential difficulties revolve around pricing policies and issues such as parallel importing; increasing use of generics may mean that product margins are likely to decline, despite the huge increase in volume.
These concerns are discussed in the article by Datamonitor's Linda McNamara. Language and cultural difference will have a major impact on advertising campaigns - for example, citizens in countries that have been subject to socialist regimes still find the idea of patient empowerment in health care an unusual concept, and so the approach to providing information must take account of this. These issues are raised in the article by Vincent Henderson of Bowne Global Solutions. |
