Pharma Futures 3 Emerging Opportunities

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Pharma Futures 3 Pharmaceutical Case Studies The following case studies were prepared by the pharmaceutical companies participating in PF3 and illustrate the type of social innovation they are undertaking. Dr. Reddy’s Polypill Easing the Burden of Heart Disease In 2002, Wellcome Trust – one of the largest biomedical charities in the world – and the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report describing a number of strategies to contain the alarming increase in noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease and stroke. The report observed that in treating people who had suffered a heart attack or stroke, ‘the use of multiple drugs might be more acceptable if they were to be combined into a single pill containing all four categories of drugs, for example, aspirin, a betablocker, an ACE inhibitor and a statin, and taken once a day’. This came to be widely described as a ‘polypill’. In 2003, Dr K Srinath Reddy, head of the Public Health Foundation of India, suggested the polypill concept to Dr Anji Reddy, founder and chairman of Dr. Reddy’s. He was deeply concerned that cardiovascular disease (CVD) was growing alarmingly in India as well as in other parts of the world. In India alone, 62 million people will be suffering from heart disease in 2015 – nearly double the level of 2005, according to the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health. CVD today is the number one cause of death globally, and 80% of these deaths occur in developing countries. Access to affordable medicines and timely care contribute to morbidity and mortality. Further, research has shown that compliance decreases with the number of pills a patient must take. Dr. Reddy’s believed that a suitable combination drug (a ‘polypill’) that could be administered simply once a day would have a significant and measurable impact on public health if made widely accessible. In collaboration with Dr Anthony Rodgers, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Auckland and one of the principal authors of the 2002 WHO Report, Dr. Reddy’s developed a single pill to address multiple CV risks. The polypill is a combination of four drugs: a beta-blocker or diuretic (atenolol or hydrochlorothiazide); an ACE inhibitor (lisinopril); a cholesterol-lowering agent (simvastatin); and an antiplatelet (aspirin). Dr. Reddy’s is in the process of establishing the safety and efficacy of the polypill for both secondary prevention (patients with established CVD or those at high risk) and primary prevention (people with moderate risk of heart disease). Apart from treating patients with a history of heart disease, a low cost intervention that can potentially reduce the risk of a first cardiovascular event by 60% or more can be lifechanging. At Rs 100 (US$2) per month per patient, the polypill’s affordability will ensure that greater numbers of people have access to medication. Dr. Reddy’s expects that the low cost of the medication would be offset by volume of sales, thus making the polypill a viable and sustainable product for Dr. Reddy’s, and generating profits while helping to ease the world’s burden of heart disease. GlaxoSmithKline Developing a Malaria Vaccine 36 Malaria kills more than 1 million people a year worldwide and makes millions more sick, most of them children living in sub-Saharan Africa. The international community urgently needs a safe and effective vaccine to control the disease. A vaccine, even with a partially effective profile, is a necessary component of a comprehensive malaria control program and could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives a year. GSK’s malaria vaccine candidate RTS,S/AS is the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate in the world and was invented in 1987 by scientists working in GSK Biological’s laboratories. Early development and clinical testing of the vaccine was part of an ongoing collaboration between GSK and the United States Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In January 2001, GSK and MVI (PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, entered into a public-private partnership to develop an RTS,S-based vaccine for infants and children living in malaria endemic regions in sub- Saharan Africa. The clinical development of RTS,S/AS is conducted by the Clinical Trial Partnership Committee, a collaboration of leading African research institutes, northern academic partners, MVI and GSK with support from the Malaria Clinical Trial Alliance. To date GSK has invested over US$300 million of its own resources into the development of this vaccine.
Pharma Futures 3 In October 2007, the medical journal The Lancet published results of a study in infants, the most vulnerable age group for malaria in Africa. It demonstrated for the first time that African infants exposed to malaria transmission (P. falciparum) can be protected by a vaccine. In December 2008, data published in the New England Journal of Medicine affirmed these findings and also showed that the vaccine candidate can be administered as part of existing African national immunisation programmes as it does not compromise the immune response to other vaccines in the current World Health Organization’s schedule for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). These landmark results substantially advance the vision of a vaccine capable of protecting young African children against malaria. In 2009 the vaccine will enter large-scale phase III clinical trials. If these prove successful, we hope to be able to file with regulatory authorities in 2011. This would be the first vaccine ever developed for any parasitic disease. The partners involved in the development of this vaccine are committed to work with governments and supranational organisations to determine demand and to develop policies and systems for financing the procurement of a prospective malaria vaccine and the implementation of vaccination programs. Once RTS,S/AS is licensed, GSK and MVI will work to ensure that this breakthrough vaccine reaches the children and infants who most need it. GSK’s investment in a vaccine against malaria is one example of the company’s approach to developing world healthcare issues. Helping to increase access to lifesaving medicines is not only the right thing to do but it also makes good business sense. Efforts such as these are a key element of a sustainable business model, helping to protect the company’s reputation and its ability to attract and retain talented employees. Companies that respond sensitively and with commitment by changing their business practices to address such challenges will be the leaders of the future. Novartis A ‘social business’ model aimed at longevity and scalability In early 2006, two divisions of Novartis, Generics (Sandoz) and Consumer Health, piloted a business model in India addressing the health needs of rural populations. In this setting, a main barrier to accessing medicines is information – villagers often do not know what ails them, nor what could be used to treat them, because they remain largely undiagnosed. They are not aware of the symptoms of specific diseases and frequently delay visiting a doctor unless their disease becomes critical due to the cost and time involved in seeking professional advice. The Novartis team recognised they had to address these interlinked challenges, particularly the initial steps of making villagers aware of prevalent diseases and encouraging them to seek treatment. As mass communication media is largely absent in most rural parts of India, Novartis developed an approach that included direct outreach to villagers. The team worked with local consultants to better understand the unmet needs, usages and attitudes in different parts of India. In late 2006, the Arogya Parivar (‘healthy family’ in Hindi) initiative was launched in pilot sites in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The initiative aims to build a sustainable, profitable business that improves access to healthcare among the underserved millions in rural India by creating awareness, local availability and appealing and affordable health solutions. This ‘social business’ approach represents a mix of corporate citizenship and creative entrepreneurship. In the pilot phase, Arogya Parivar focused on diseases where Novartis’ generics and consumer healthcare businesses could offer adapted solutions. These included tuberculosis, other respiratory infections, cough, cold, allergies, skin and genital infections, mother and childhood malnutrition, diabetes, intestinal worms and digestive problems – all important health challenges in these communities. The basket of products has since been expanded to include products sourced from partner firms covering additional therapeutic areas and items such as antimalarial bed-nets. 37 Products selected for the initiative need to be simple to use, relevant to villagers and should have packaging and educational materials in local languages. Packages are being reduced in size so that out-of-pocket costs are acceptable. Because transportation and communications in rural India are a constant challenge, a decentralised model was adopted, organising the field force in autonomous ‘cells’. Each cell has health educators and supervisors who collaborate with health professionals, pharmacy chains and NGOs to address the whole ‘patient flow’, providing education, diagnosis, treatment, delivery and making medicines available and accessible. A key element of their role is prioritising communication with patients about integrated solutions to their health problems rather than selling products to health professionals. In 2007, after an extended pilot phase, Novartis approved an ambitious roll-out plan involving year-on-year growth for at least 5 years. By the end of 2008, Arogya Parivar had increased the number of cells to cover a population of around 25 million villagers, with numerous additional cells in the startup phase. The aim is to double this reach by 2010.
Page 1 and 2: Pharma Futures 3 Emerging Opportuni
Page 3 and 4: Pharma Futures 3 Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: Pharma Futures 3 Conclusions PF3 un
Page 7 and 8: Pharma Futures 3 Not All Companies
Page 9 and 10: Pharma Futures 3 Pharma Futures 3:
Page 11 and 12: Pharma Futures 3 The Siren Call of
Page 13 and 14: Pharma Futures 3 The Social Contrac
Page 15 and 16: Pharma Futures 3 The geographical l
Page 17 and 18: Pharma Futures 3 First, per capita
Page 19 and 20: Pharma Futures 3 The result is that
Page 21 and 22: Pharma Futures 3 Governments also e
Page 23 and 24: Pharma Futures 3 Societal expectati
Page 25 and 26: Pharma Futures 3 Taking as a starti
Page 27 and 28: Pharma Futures 3 Accessible A major
Page 29 and 30: Pharma Futures 3 The key to this pr
Page 31 and 32: Pharma Futures 3 Patrimonio Hoy’s
Page 33 and 34: Pharma Futures 3 Manila Water condu
Page 35 and 36: Pharma Futures 3 But he did not giv
Page 37: Pharma Futures 3 This model has als
Page 41 and 42: Pharma Futures 3 Pharma Futures is
Page 43 and 44: Low Risk High Pharma Futures 3 To d
Page 45 and 46: Pharma Futures 3 — Improved commu
Page 47 and 48: Pharma Futures 3 Appendix 1 Project
Page 49 and 50: Pharma Futures 3 Notes 1 There is a
Page 51: Publication Details Title Pharma Fu

Pharma Futures 3 Emerging Opportunities

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?