New Delhi: According to the Thomson Reuters 2016 State of Innovation Report, the pharmaceutical industry continues to grow thanks to its branching into creative, new markets. Proof can be seen in the seven drugs expected to launch this year that Thomson Reuters predicts will achieve blockbuster sales status of more than $1 billion in revenue by 2020, with some predicted to hit $2 billion during that period.
Pharmaceuticals experienced 4 percent year-over year growth, with the most significant increase occurring in inorganics, which jumped up by 190 percent, from 1,373 to 3,975 unique inventions for the period. Inorganics include all non-carbon-based chemical compounds, featuring an array of metallic compounds as well as those that are synthesized in a chemical plant or lab. Globally, China is the world’s leading region for pharmaceutical innovation with 50 percent of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies residing there: University of Jiangnan, University of Zhejiang, Foshan Saiweisi Pharma Technology, University of Shanghai Jiaotong and University of Guangxi. The collabovation between the public and private sectors is also clear in this industry, as all of China’s representatives are from academia.
In the subsector for Heterocyclics, China again dominates the top ten list in Asia with 80 percent of the organizations in that area. Heterocyclics are classic compounds that have atoms of at least two different elements as part of their rings. Cadila Healthcare of India also makes the top 10 global innovator list within this area. Merck, Roche and Novartis are the world’s three most innovative organizations overall in Heterocyclic volume, surpassing even China’s leading organizations in their R&D activity. Contrary to Asia, nearly all of the top 10 organizations in Heterocyclics in Europe and North America are from the private, corporate sector. The most influential top 10 scientific research organizations in pharmaceuticals have balanced representation across China, Europe and North America, with China’s Tianjin University taking the top spot.
The current pharmaceutical-success trend is a result of a concoction featuring an increased focus on rare diseases, ongoing development of more convenient Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) regimens and the continuation of the conflict between price versus access to medicines. These, alongside new treatments involving bio-organisms, several new vaccines (such as for malaria and dengue fever) and immune-therapies have given the sector a burst of adrenaline.
Report points out that the collaboration is a prerequisite for future pharmaceutical growth in order to meet the health and drug needs of a larger population, especially in developing nations, and to ensure the longevity of an aging demographic as well. R&D models will increasingly shift to involve partnerships between pharmas and either their suppliers or partners, allowing each party to focus on its respective area of expertise. Testing of “virtual beings” is also expected to expedite development and trial cycles, bringing drugs to market faster and with more successful outcomes.
