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Published on: October 1, 2007
How to revive breakthrough innovation in the pharmaceutical industry
Bernard H Munos1, William W Chin
1InnoThink Center for Research in Biomedical Innovation, Indianapolis, IN 46228-1422, USA. bhmunos@stanfordalumni.org
Science Translational Medicine
|July 1, 2011
Summary
The pharmaceutical industry
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Drug discovery
- Therapeutics development
Background:
- Conservative management practices in drug discovery over 20 years.
- Focus on incremental innovation leading to marginally improved therapies.
- Increased trial complexity and cost, shifting resources from discovery to late-stage development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for a shift from incremental to high-risk drug discovery.
- To advocate for collaborative innovation models in the pharmaceutical industry.
- To address the innovation crisis exacerbated by patent expirations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of pharmaceutical industry's conservative management practices.
- Review of the impact of these practices on drug discovery and development.
- Argument for strategic changes in innovation models.
Main Results:
- Conservative practices yield limited therapeutic improvements.
- Increased trial costs and complexity strain resources.
- Innovation is stifled, and patent expirations worsen the crisis.
Conclusions:
- Pharmaceutical companies must move beyond incremental innovation.
- Re-engagement in high-risk discovery research is crucial.
- Collaborative innovation models are needed to share knowledge and costs for breakthrough therapeutics.
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