La revista se extiende en análisis mas profundo de la situación actual de la industria farmacéutica y añade 3 más a la mencioada.
- Improve R&D
As John Lechleiter, head of Eli Lilly, put it recently: “At a time when the world desperately needs more new medicines . . . we’re taking too long, spending too much and producing far too little. Re-powering pharmaceutical innovation is an urgent need.”
The most widespread tactic to change this is to restructure in order to boost innovation. Chief executives talk about adopting a more entrepreneurial approach, simulating in-house the incentive-based, smaller-scale, science-based environment of biotech companies, finding external partners and broadening their portfolios.
Merck, once proud of its go-it-alone approach, has started to tap research conducted by other companies and academics. Last year, it helped fill holes in its own pipeline with the purchase of Schering-Plough. (...)
- New markets
Given both the time pressures and the difficulties of innovation, another means of diversification has been to expand into new geographical regions to boost income from existing medicines.
Some companies remain wedded to traditional markets, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, which still relies on the US for more than 60 per cent of its sales. Others – notably European pharmaceutical companies with relatively small domestic markets and strong historical links abroad – have made efforts to increase sales in emerging markets.(...)
- Product diversification
Pharma companies are expanding the breadth of their own activities, and buying up or forging partnerships with others in different niches.
Last year, Sanofi-Aventis acquired Zentiva in Slovakia, Medley in Brazil and Kendrick in Mexico. Pfizer, by contrast, has so far opted for partnerships, agreeing to license medicines from Aurobindo and Claris Life Sciences in India, as did GSK with Aspen in South Africa.
Novartis has moved into eyecare products with its acquisition of Alcon; GSK has strengthened its position in consumer healthcare by purchasing Stiefel for dermatology; and Sanofi-Aventis and Merck have invested in an expanded version of Merial, their joint venture for animal health.
- Value and pricing
A final option for drug companies has been to diversify their commercial approaches. Some – such as Novo Nordisk and Roche – remain focused on a single global price for their drugs to maximise returns and reduce the risk of “leakage” from lower to higher priced markets. Others continue to justify high prices by pointing to high development costs.
But as healthcare systems increasingly seek ways to save money, the emphasis is shifting. GSK and Pfizer have sought to boost volumes in poorer countries by offering deeper discounts. Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and Merck have recently negotiated prices in Europe and North America linked to the performance of their drugs.
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