Big pharma groups to focus on alliances

Big pharma groups to focus on alliances

By Andrew Jack in London
Published: September 3 2009 17:10 | Last updated: September 3 2009 17:10

Big pharmaceutical companies are poised to accelerate partnerships and
licensing deals as they attempt to bolster falling innovation,
according to a survey of industry trends.More
than half of companies anticipate a stronger focus on collaborations
with other companies over the next five years and see business
development as the most important way to boost productivity.


The findings come from a poll of senior executives from 35 global groups conducted by Roland Berger, the consultancy.With
a growing emphasis by senior managements on maintaining entrepreneurial
spirit in research through partnership or takeover, just 6 per cent
highlighted the likelihood of a more centralised approach to research
and development.Stephan Danner, a partner with Roland Berger,
said: “Innovation of the future with the best talent will mostly happen
outside pharma.”Some respondents stressed that some companies
would turn away from conducting early-stage research as they instead
sought external partners. In-house funding was already falling sharply
as any increase in spending went on costly late-stage clinical
development of experimental drugs.The poll reflected trends
under way as most companies flagged up oncology as the therapy area
most likely to be lucrative in the future, with immunology and vaccines
moderately attractive, along with respiratory and anti-inflammatory
treatments.Several respondents raised concerns that too many
companies were focusing on high-priced therapies at a time when
healthcare systems were becoming less willing to offer reimbursement as
their resources were stretched.Just 9 per cent of companies saw
traditional small chemical-based pills as central to their growth in
the next five years, only just ahead of stem cells, while biological
treatments were ranked top.Many said that there would be growing financial innovation.




Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article
tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email
or post to the web.