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BOSTON, MA, Jan 26, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, under pressure to
increase R&D productivity, are expanding their use of strategic
partnerships to bring new drugs to market more quickly and at lower
cost, according to a panel of leaders from the research-based drug
industry recently convened by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug
Development.

“Drug developers know that they need a new business model if they are
to thrive in the face of major patent expirations and soaring R&D
costs,” said Tufts CSDD Director Kenneth I Kaitin. “While it’s not
yet clear what that model might be, the goal is crystal clear: to
improve clinical trial efficiency and increase the number of new
products that win market approval.”

With the total capitalized cost for bringing a new drug to market,
according to Tufts CSDD, now surpassing $1.3 billion, developers have
been exploring ways to increase R&D productivity, but results have
been mixed to date. For example, many developers have embraced a
global development strategy in an effort to speed patient recruitment
and reduce clinical costs, but coordinating those activities and
working with numerous regulatory agencies can pose significant
challenges.

“Notably, drug developers are actively seeking newer and more
efficient models of R&D,” Kaitin said. “Many companies, for example,
have reduced their fixed operating costs by teaming with contract
research organizations, which now employ more R&D personnel worldwide
than the major pharmaceutical companies.”

Key points made by industry executives, summarized in the February
Tufts CSDD R&D Management Report, released today, include the
following:

— Adaptive clinical trials, in which early results of a trial are used
to modify the trial’s future course, can lower costs, shorten
development time, improve the quality of information produced, and
increase the value of a late stage portfolio.

— The goal of strategic partnerships between drug sponsors and contract
research organizations, where both share risks, is to take costs out
of the development process while maintaining quality.

Upcoming Tufts CSDD Executive Forum Roundtable meetings:

Feb. 23, 2012 - Managing Transition from Nonclinical to Early
Clinical Development
May 17, 2012 - Academic-Industry Partnerships:
Opportunities and Pitfalls
Sept. 13, 2012 -The Changing Landscape
for Technical Services Outsourcing
Nov. 1, 2012 - Development
Strategies for Companion Diagnostics

ABOUT THE TUFTS CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DRUG DEVELOPMENT

The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
(
http://csdd.tufts.edu ) at Tufts University provides strategic
information to help drug developers, regulators, and policy makers
improve the quality and efficiency of pharmaceutical development,
review, and utilization. Tufts CSDD, based in Boston, conducts a wide
range of in-depth analyses on pharmaceutical issues and hosts
symposia, workshops, and public forums, and publishes Tufts CSDD
Impact Reports, a bi-monthly newsletter providing analysis and
insight into critical drug development issues.

Contacts:
Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Sandra Peters
617-636-2185
Email Contact

Business Communication Strategies
Peter Lowy
617-734-9980
Email Contact

SOURCE: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development

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