European partners in research to boost healthcare

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations discusses the importance of its Partners in Research initiative to boost research in healthcare

In the search for new medicines partnering between pharmaceutical manufacturers has become commonplace in recent decades. This is in part because companies learned long ago that working in silos represents an inefficient way of developing innovative medicines, helping to support the sustainability of national healthcare systems and improving public health.

In fact, it has become increasing obvious that in order to develop a new therapy we often need to look beyond the established models, to include biopharmaceutical and technology companies, universities, hospitals, venture capital firms and governments.

By working in collaboration with continued focus on the patient at the centre of research and development paradigm, we are together witnessing a revolution in the way in which therapies are created. Healthcare stakeholders have embarked upon a concerted drive towards the creation of precision medicines that will eventually lead to highly personalised care.

The pharmaceutical industry understands that in order to maximise the potential of this new ecosystem, it is vital to establish strategic alliances and enter into collaborations with other sectors including imaging, devices, IT, diagnostic and animal health industries. Increased collaboration could help reduce high rates of attrition in drug R&D, speed patient access to innovative therapies and ultimately lead the way to improved patient outcomes.

Partners in Research was set up as a constituent entity of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations with the aim of supporting the evolution of the life science sector and with the considered ability to act upon policies that allow for the integration of a range of technologies and sciences that are needed to address unmet medical needs and exploit the vast health potential offered by science. It is open to non-(bio)pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical R&D companies that are not eligible to be EFPIA corporate members or members of its specialised groups.

Part of Partners in Research's raison d'etre is its intended contribution to attaining the objectives set out under the Strategic Research Agenda of the second phase of the world's largest public-private health research partnership, the innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI/IMI 2).

Today the Partners in Research initiative has nine members from the fields of medical diagnostics and molecular imaging; genome exploration; advanced data management, connectivity, and analytics technologies; optics and optoelectronics and animal health.

These members have access to EFPIA activities under IMI 2 and also benefit from the support that EFPIA provides its members in their relationships with the IMI-2 Joint Undertaking between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry.

There are a number of well-placed examples that serve to highlight the mutually beneficial collaboration between IMI/EFPIA and Partners in Research.

Based in Montpellier, France, Alcediag creates innovative approaches for medical diagnostics and predictive toxicology. Its principal field of activity is personalised medicine for psychiatric disorders. To achieve its goals within this field, it focuses on two main areas of application ­– the predictive neuropsychiatric toxicology test of drugs and the diagnostic test. 

The company is developing two key enabling technologies (KETs) called Editox and Editdiag en route to providing diagnostic solutions for the psychiatric disorder field. Alcediag is keen to share Editox and Editdiag with pharmaceutical industry and says this collaboration will enable the development of drugs for personalised treatment with no neurotoxic side effects and suicide risk. It will also allow for the validation of Alcediag’s biomarkers and the associated technologies to help stratify patients for more effective treatment and design of clinical trials as well as prepare the regulatory path for acceptance of Alcediag’s biomarkers and the associated technologies.

Illumina specialises in disciplines that are relevant to IMI 2 including genomics, bioinformatics, cancer research, molecular diagnostics and human genetics.

The company aims to provide leadership and guidance around protocols to generate genomic data as well as to provide informatics leadership around aggregation and synthesis of molecular and other clinical data. In an age where the idea of generating big data to improve therapies is of supreme importance, Illumina provides the pharmaceutical industry with a valuable partner in this process.

Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and commercialises animal health medicines and vaccines. In terms of the IMI 2 Scientific Research Agenda its work in vaccines, small molecule therapeutics, large molecule therapeutics and biotherapeutics, platform technologies, diagnostics, biomarkers, genetic tests, digital and data analytics and services and bio-devices are important.

The company has been keen to cooperate with the pharmaceutical sector to developing research alliances. The hope is that they will deliver additional value to new discoveries either in the human or animal health fields. Zoetis also seeks to share experiences on the identification of biological targets, mechanisms, screening techniques, biomarkers, formulations and other technologies.

These three company examples showcase the range of skill that bring value to the Partners in Research agenda. They also underscore the renewed emphasis on a collaborative effort to discover and progress the therapies of tomorrow. Other important Partners in Research are GE Healthcare (medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies); InterSystems (advanced data management, connectivity, and analytics technologies); Piramal Life Sciences (molecular imaging); PMB Alcen (medical diagnosis, scientific research); Siemens (medical diagnostics); and Zeiss (biomedical research and medical technology).

It is vast array of skills and expertise, coupled with the synergies that can be achieved that will help to streamline clinical trials, provide extra stimulus in the drive to harness big data and ultimately deliver more targeted treatments to benefit patients.