Not every pharmaceutical exec is out to get you, but they could still use advice.
I was speaking to a Global Head of Toxicology and Safety at a top 10 pharmaceutical company not too long ago … and he was asking me, "How do I convince my organization that SAFETY needs to be job #1 for the industry"? What a great question!
The industry is all chasing the ‘efficacy’ goal. This is most unfortunate. Let me get technical real quick.
In reality, it is the industry's lack of focus on safety that is costing the industry millions and millions of dollars. We all know these statistics …
The average R&D cost of a successful drug is approximately $2.6 billion
1) To find a successful drug, R&D teams must sift through millions of potential compounds
2) It takes approximately 12 years for a drug to make it from the lab to patients
3) Only 10% of the drugs that enter pre-clinical trials reach human testing
Making this drug discovery process faster and more efficient is an urgent issue for all pharmaceutical companies. However, rather than look at the 'root causes' of the problem, the industry is busy hiring more scouts to 'find' the next solution outside of their own four walls.
So, let's wake up and focus on the RIGHT problem. SAFETY issues are the items which stop most drugs from proceeding forward. But the system is phenomenally broken!! We utilize mice, rats, dogs and chimps to 'represent' the human. Then, the drugs that don't pass the animal models are tabled – yet, perhaps they would actually work in the human body!
To any outsider, it is OBVIOUS something is wrong here and requires a concerted, industry-wide focus in order to be able to fix it and garner more success.
I say all of this because I spend my 'days and nights' trying to figure out why the majority of Big Pharma (and biotech) have side-lined their Safety and Toxicology people!? And, as to the Global Head of Toxicology and Safety I referred to above, he is actually no longer in that job … like many of my colleagues in drug safety – his role has been 'expanded' to include more important areas in the company (than safety!!!???). OMG.
You can rant, too.
As a health consumer, you should definitely get involved in the conversation.
Let's work together to convince the pharm industry that SAFETY research, and the development of new tools for the industry, needs to be a TOP PRIORITY over the next 5 years and beyond. (Then, let's take that presentation to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America®, because talk is worthless without action.)
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