Industry must continue to collaborate after Covid-19, life sciences organisation argues

The life sciences industry should learn lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and seek out more opportunities to collaborate, according to Dr Steve Arlington, president of The Pistoia Alliance.

Dr Arlington is calling on life science organisations to continue to work together in order for scientific breakthroughs to be achieved at the pace seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenge of Covid-19 saw many groups across industry, government and academia work together to develop therapies and diagnostics at an expedited pace.

Nowhere is this more evident than the development of Covid-19 vaccines, which have taken under a year to come to marker, far quicker than the usual 10 years they take to develop.

“One hundred years before Covid-19, the world experienced another pandemic. With limited knowledge, it pulled together then to mitigate the spread of influenza and treat the many millions affected. Similarly, during Covid-19, the incredible work of scientists around the globe has seen collaborative projects produce hugely valuable outcomes. From repurposed therapies to novel vaccines, the normal timeline of R&D has been accelerated beyond measure,” said Dr Arlington.

“In the one hundred years between these two world-changing events, we’ve learned a lot more about the science of pandemics. But we’ve learned far less about the art of collaboration. This must change. Let’s not wait another hundred years to collaborate. You only have to look at the many viable vaccines produced in just ten short months, and the openness we’ve seen around sharing data and knowledge, to understand the value of working together to tackle big problems. Mindsets must change from ‘we should collaborate’ to ‘we must collaborate to save lives’.”

The Pistoia Alliance highlights how other healthcare threats, such as antibiotic resistance and treatments for dementia require a cross-disciplinary approach if solutions are to be found. Stakeholders need to find opportunities to collaborate and address the pre-existing hurdles that hinder progress – such as the barriers that companies face to safely share data.

The rapid innovation in the life sciences industry throughout Covid-19 has also opened many people’s eyes to what the sector can achieve. Dr Arlington comments that the industry can collectively use this interest to attract more people to a career in science, who might not previously have considered it.

“A global pandemic isn’t over until we have global solutions. In the past year, I have seen members of the Pistoia Alliance step up their efforts even further, and my hope is that all stakeholders now realise the value of cooperation in solving problems. We also have an opportunity to capitalise on the current interest in our industry by making sure that young people see biopharma as a place where minds meet and innovation happens. At the Alliance, we’ll be continuing efforts with our collaborative projects, and encourage anyone interested to get involved.”