A new joint report by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) shows that small to medium-sized biotechnology companies are bringing innovation to global health, even with only a small percentage of all biotechs worldwide participating.

 

Back in March 2012, BVGH released a report, Developing New Drugs and Vaccines for Neglected Diseases of the Poor: The Product Developer Landscape, which showed that small to medium-sized biotechnology companies are participating in a high percentage of projects targeting neglected diseases of the developing world. The findings of this report were surprising, given the financial risks these companies take on and the little to no promise of a return on their R&D investment.

 

Intrigued by this level of participation, BVGH joined forces with BIO to learn more about the biotech sector and its contributions to neglected disease product development across drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics. Using updated product development data from the BVGH Global Health Primer, BVGH and BIO have authored a new report, Biotechnology: Bringing Innovation to Neglected Disease Research and Development, which not only reinforces the findings of the March Product Developer Landscape, but also sheds light on the mechanisms driving biotech participation in global health and makes recommendations for fully leveraging the innovation emerging from the biotech sector.

 

The new report will be released June 18 at the annual BIO International Convention in Boston, and will be available on the BVGH website beginning June 18.

A Practical Guide to Global Health: Shared Experiences from Biotech Companies on Making Global Health Work for You

 

Held on June 18 from 10 - 11:30 AM in Room 257AB, BVGH CEO Don Joseph will moderate this session framing the current landscape of biotechnology company involvement in global health research and development. Panelists will speak to their practical strategies for structuring cross-sector collaborations, identifying key partnerships, and sharing resources to drive a neglected disease project forward. The panel will address findings from the new BVGH/BIO joint report, Biotechnology: Bringing Innovation to Neglected Disease Research and Development, as well as the new Case Studies for Global Health - an on-line resource of collaborative endeavors-which showcases specific examples of current practices and lessons learned in the course of conducting activities related to global health initiatives.

 

Vaccines Beyond 2012: Sustainable Business Solutions to Accelerate Global Access

 

Held on June 19 from 8:30 - 9:45 AM in Room 208, this panel explores the role of emerging markets as growth drivers, with an emphasis on the development of vaccines that address in-country disease priorities. Panelists, including BVGH Senior Advisor Peg Willingham, will explore the evolving relationships between multi-national vaccine companies and emerging manufacturers to meet national and, ultimately, global health needs. 

 

Intellectual Property and Biotechnology - The Way Ahead

 

Held on June 19 from 2:00-3:30 PM in Room 259A, this session will unveil a new report commissioned by BIO and carried out by the Pugatch Consilium group. The report focuses on the extent to which intellectual property rights play a role in encouraging upstream research and development and downstream commercialization in biotechnology. Bringing together key experts in the field, including Jennifer Dent, BVGH's Vice President of Commercialization and Alliance Management, the session will also look at how intellectual property rights have affected innovation and the development of new biotechnologies and whether they contribute to growth in partnerships and other models of collaboration.

 

Thinking Outside the Box: A New IP-Sharing Model Brings Biopharma, Government Agencies, and Non-Profits Together to Accelerate R&D Collaborations for Neglected Tropical Diseases

 

Held on June 21 from 10-11:30 AM in Room 256, BVGH CEO Don Joseph will moderate this session discussing the WIPO Re:Search consortium. WIPO Re:Search was created to help accelerate research and development for neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis by providing access to intellectual property for pharmaceutical compounds, technologies, know-how, and data that have, until now, resided within industry's walls. WIPO Re:Search is the latest in a budding trend toward cross-sector collaborations that offer new opportunities to save significant time and increase resource-sharing in the race to develop new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis.