2012: Drug Companies Will Initiate Improvements to R&D Productivity

The scheduled expiration of patents for dozens of high-revenue drugs over the next 5 years is driving the need for R&D productivity improvement

As drug companies search for innovative approaches to increase the speed and reduce the cost of drug development, the greatest advances will derive from improved coordination with development partners and enhanced clinical trial design, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD).

“The next few years will show how well the research-based pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry, not just large pharma, has been able to adapt and innovate,” said Tufts CSDD director Kenneth I. Kaitin. “The good news is that many companies are embracing new approaches to drug development that have the potential to improve R&D productivity, including novel partnership agreements with academic medical centers and other drug companies.”

According to Tufts CSDD, greater R&D productivity will result from partnerships within R&D, the concentration of internal company resources on fewer (vice more) disease areas, and improved management of investigative sites.

These near-term trends were highlighted in Tufts CSDD Outlook 2012 report on pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical:

  • While taking steps to help reduce approval bottlenecks, regulatory agencies operating on tight budgets, especially in the US and Europe, will be challenged to maintain their obligations to protect public health and safety
  • With an eye to better manage rising costs and reduce inefficiencies associated with clinical trials, many drug sponsors will re-evaluate their global footprint
  • Personalized medicine and targeted therapeutics will be key drivers of studies of small molecule drugs and biopharmaceuticals, especially anticancer agents, over the next decade
  • The question of whether the benefits of new cancer drugs are worth the cost will remain a focus for US payers, who will look to refine their reimbursement policies for personalized medicines

Source: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

Login or register to post comments

BEFORE YOU POST A COMMENT, please note that this is a site for oncology medical professionals. We encourage you to comment on articles posted on our site, but know that we do not edit or alter comments, and that our site is not gated. However, we do remove comments that contain profanity, personal attacks, advertisements for products, or other inappropriate material; we also remove comments that do not promote useful professional dialogue among members of our primary audience. Patients and members of the general public should note that neither the editors nor the authors of articles respond to questions about health matters; if you have such questions, you are advised to consult your healthcare provider.