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| February 2006
"Commercial applications for these breakthroughs could secure the Massachusetts economy for the next 50 years." —Thomas Finneran |
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Rising Costs, Declining Output put Spotlight on Collaboration in Drug Development Pharmaceutical company and federal R&D expenditures rose by 270 percent between 1993 and 2003, and another nearly $50 billion was spent in 2004. Despite increasing investment, the number of new drug compounds submitted for approval has decreased.  This was the fundamental issue that was addressed at Mass Insight Corporation's January 10th R&D Breakfast Briefing at Merck Research Laboratories in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. The R&D Breakfast was presented in partnership with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. With more than half of Americans taking prescription drugs daily, it is critical that the nation develop a reliable and cost-effective pipeline for moving from basic science to new products. Imaging Biomarker Center Represents Economic Opportunity In 2004, Mass Insight and Battelle's Technology Road Map study identified imaging and biomarkers as one of the most promising technology areas for the Commonwealth. Thanks to recent advances, scientists can now follow the presence and progress of disease, the effectiveness or toxicity of proposed drugs, and the medical response to therapies at the molecular level through advanced imaging technology. In terms of commercial applications for these breakthroughs, Biotechnology Council President Thomas Finneran said they could "secure the Massachusetts economy for the next 50 years." Pre-Competitive Collaboration Needed Despite rising investments in R&D, one reason for the reduction in drugs submitted for approval is that no single pharmaceutical company can keep up with the skyrocketing cost of research. To address that problem, a Drug Development Work Group that was formed in the wake of the Technology Road Map study to explore a pre-competitive collaborative imaging biomarker research center in which multiple companies and academics would share costs and benefits. Co-Bio Consulting president and former interim Biotechnology Council head Mark Trusheim, who has worked closely with Mass Insight on the drug development project, moderated a panel that examined the potential value of a collaborative research facility. Richard Hargreaves, Merck's vice president for imaging, described some of the problems in the current pipeline. He noted that the discovery period for new breakthroughs has remained relatively constant, but subsequent stages are taking longer since 2000 than they had between 1995 and 2000. As a result, the average scientist has only a 50 percent chance of working on a medicine that goes to market during his or her career. Hargreaves identified cancer, arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer's, osteoarthritis and diabetes as disease areas that were most likely to see advances from new imaging technology. With more than half of Americans taking prescription drugs daily, it is critical that the nation develop a reliable and cost-effective pipeline for moving from basic science to new products. In his opening remarks, Finneran noted that demographic changes will only increase the demand for pharmaceuticals and other therapies. "It's often too expensive for one company to develop therapies," Hargreaves said. "Pre-competitive collaborative space is the way to go." William Terry, executive associate director of the Reynolds Clinic Cardiovascular Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, agreed, adding that new models are needed for industry/higher education collaboration. He also noted collaboration would allow for more information sharing about therapies that fail to provide benefits. According to a paper produced by the Drug Development Work Group, failures account for up to 75 percent of drug development costs. Professor Ralph Weissleder, director of Harvard Medical School's Center for Molecular Imaging Research, also spoke about the need for collaboration. Frank Douglas, director of MIT's Center for Biomedical Innovation, cited the need for safeguards to protect proprietary interests in intellectual property. Boston Area an Imaging Leader As "the pre-eminent research center for imaging in North America," according to Hargreaves, the Boston area is well-positioned to benefit from advances in imaging technology. But Finneran noted that collaboration is the key to addressing challenges that have slowed the drug pipeline. Global Massachusetts 2015 In addition to continuing follow-up from the Technology Roadmap study, Mass Insight President William H. Guenther also noted that Health Care/Pharmaceuticals would be one of the key sectors addressed by "Global Massachusetts 2015," a new multi-year economic development initiative Mass Insight has organized together with Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts High Technology Council and other association partners. Global Massachusetts will examine industry sectors that are critical to the Commonwealth's economy, determine their economic potential for the next decade and recommend policies that would maximize each sector's economic impact, with a particular focus on attracting the talent that is critical to economic success. Guenther said that next steps in the development of the center would be to attract more champions and develop a business plan. Terry was even more direct, noting that "we need more funding to advance the drug development project." |
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| Related article: Biomarker center proposed by execs, academia to aid in pharma research [Mass High Tech News] |
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