Translational research in the development of bortezomib: A core model

Extract: The high price of many innovative drugs, which is in part due to the costs, time and risks involved in drug development, calls for more efficient approaches to bring drugs to the market. Translational research (the bi-directional transfer of basic and pre-clinical findings to humans) has been identified as an important component of such strategies. With the aim of understanding what factors underlie success in translational research, this article analyzes the life cycle of bortezomib -- from its earliest days of academic research until its FDA approval in 2003. Bortezomib (Velcade) is a breakthrough treatment for multiple myeloma developed by Myogenics/ProScript and subsequently marketed by Millennium Pharmaceuticals. The development of bortezomib illustrates the key academia-industry/public sector-private sector interactions, as well as the unique power of personal connections among scientists, necessary to succeed in this difficult area. Here, a model is proposed to explain how and why bortezomib reached the market in record time and public policy initiatives are highlighted to improve translational research in general. An extended description of this topic was published elsewhere.