Scrip has published the first edition of the Scrip Asia 100 - its comprehensive analysis of the pharmaceutical industry's performance and prospects in Asia.

Published by Informa and combining the expertise of Scrip's writers, editors and analysts, Scrip Asia 100 provides a view on the healthcare industry from Asia, with a breadth of content which reflects the diversity of Asia itself and highlights the region's influential major players in these rapidly expanding emerging markets.

"Scrip 100 has recognised Asia as a hotbed of pharmaceutical research since its launch in 2005 and our hope is that Scrip Asia 100 will play a part in helping to improve understanding of this critical part of the world, perhaps even highlighting opportunities and prompting discussions between potential partners," explains Ian Haydock, Scrip's Tokyo-based Asia editor.

Scrip Asia 100 identifies some of Asia's most influential companies, organisations and people: Scrip's editors' pick of ‘ones to watch'.  Out of these 100, ten ‘Shining Stars' have been identified as Asia's visionary leaders from the worlds of pharma business and science.

The edition also features an exclusive one-to-one interview with Marc Dunoyer, GSK's pharmaceuticals president for Japan and the Asia-Pacific who explains why he favours distinct business strategies addressing the nuances of each national market, by "selecting the most appropriate product portfolio for local needs, applying local knowledge and seeing where the firm can best compete".

"There is a need for distinct strategies tailored to each national market," explains Ian. "The smart pharma and biotech companies... know that to do successful business in Asia means being a polyglot, flexible operation able quickly to meet the varying demands of a highly diverse set of languages, cultures and healthcare systems."

In addition, Scrip Asia 100 showcases a collection of articles on the increasingly vibrant innovative R&D being conducted around the region, with pharma companies often employing regional heads based in Asia to oversee and understand the local markets. Scrip Asia 100 illuminates the increasing interest in Indonesia, with its burgeoning middle class and the prospects of more comprehensive health insurance coverage. It also highlights the new bridges being built between the Asian regulatory systems with those of clinical research markets in the west.

As a consequence, a growing number of CROs are looking to undertake clinical trials in Taiwan, selected for its good regulatory infrastructure and a quality of trials which is equivalent to those in more established nations. Additionally, South Korea is featured as having become a reliable and rewarding place in which to conduct clinical trials, although its costs are approaching those in the west.

In all, Scrip Asia 100 features a broad selection of high-quality editorial articles on the performance, prospects, and likely developments of the pharma industry in Asia-Pacific. The articles contained in the publication, plus additional analysis, more data, background information, and exclusive online content, are available at www.scripasia100.com.