The coronavirus pandemic started in December in China and now has moved to the entire world shows no signs of stopping. As of July 30, 2020, global cases have surpassed 17 million cases and 667,000 deaths, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University. Pharma companies, governments, academic institutions have all come together to find a cure for the virus. There are 26 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluations and 139 candidates in preclinical evaluation around the world. (As of July 31, 2020. Source: World Health Organization, WHO). Since April 2020, more than 10 companies across the globe are working on antibodies for COVID-19.
Partnering for a common goal
Pharma companies across the globe have been quick enough to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Setting aside the financial gains and rivalry, pharma firms have come together to form a strong bond to fight COVID-19.
“In any case, the more companies that are trying to develop a vaccine, the higher the chances are that one might succeed” Dr Philipp Rosenbaum, Infectious Diseases Analyst at GlobalData, said in a statement.
Echoing similar sentiment Dr Marinella Sandros, Senior Global Product Manager, GenScript Biotech, USA said, “Even prior to COVID-19, collaborations in the pharma industry with other companies and academic institutions were already on the rise. What this pandemic has reinforced, however is, how large scale collaboration and the unifying of strengths and assets among different companies/organizations can help meet the urgent, massive global demand for therapeutic, diagnostic and prevention solutions for the virus.”
Pharma partnerships in Asia
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von BioSpectrum Asia.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von BioSpectrum Asia.
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New South Wales government injects $5M for critical research to address Silicosis crisis
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Singapore approves new asthma indication for GSK's Trelegy Ellipta
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What's APAC's Recipe of Success in CLINICAL TRIALS MARKET?
Asia-Pacific APAC) is emerging as one of the most promising and resilient markets for clinical trials. According to a report by Clinical Trials Arena, between 2017 and 2022, the region posted growth in clinical trials of around 10 per cent, outstripping growth in other major regions including the US, Europe and the rest of the world RoW). Asia’s growth far exceeded the overall average figure of 5.3 per cent per year. As of 2023, the number of trials reached 14,346 in APAC. Let's delve into the thriving clinical research landscape in the region and explore the trends driving its growth.
From Haematologic to Autoimmune DiseaseThe CAR-T Therapy Second Revolution
Cell and gene therapies have revolutionised the field of medicine, offering new treatment options for patients with various diseases that, by type of disease or severity, were considered untreatable until a few years ago. Rapid technological advancements in genetic and biological engineering and improvements in the quality and standardisation of the manufacturing process are fostering a marked increase in clinical development of these advanced therapies, generally named cell and gene therapies CGT), and they are expected to receive more approvals in the near future.
"Biotech startups still need support in terms of talent, and resources to bring their innovations to market"
Raymond Chow has recently stepped in as the Vice President, Asia Pacific at USheadquartered Cytiva, a global provider of technologies and services for biological therapies, formerly known as GE Healthcare Life Sciences.
"We are exploring opportunities to collaborate with startups and incubators"
Agilent Technologies, a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, has named Padraig McDonnell CEO-elect and Chief Operating Officer (COO), succeeding current President and CEO Mike McMullen.
"Australia offers a simple, supportive and robust regulatory process to initiate human trials efficiently"
US-based Uvax Bio, LLC, a spin-off vaccine company from Scripps Research, employs proprietary 1c-SApNP platform technology invented by Dr Jiang Zhu of Scripps Research to develop and commercialise prophylactic vaccines for challenging infectious diseases.
"Regulatory encouragement of advanced tech, including AI will accelerate clinical trials in APAC"
Lokavant Holdings, a US-based clinical trial intelligence technology company provides clinical trial intelligence that enables study teams to make data-driven decisions, as well as risk-based quality management and monitoring services to pharmaceutical companies and contract research organisations (CROs).
What Are the Main Challenges of Modern Clinical Trials?
With a cumulative total of almost 478,000 globally registered trials from the year 2000 to 2023, and growing at around 10 per cent a year in the last five years, the pharmaceutical industry continues to invest in clinical trials as the gold-standard test of therapeutic safety and efficacy. In addition, as the world’s economies and populations move in new directions, the share of non-US trials has reached 54 per cent, a trend that is likely to continue, driven by demographics and epidemiology. As the pace accelerates, trial managers and clinicians face a significant challenge: the explosive growth of data volumes. To succeed in the future, clinical trials need to increase efficiency and better utilise clinical trial data to support informed clinical and operational decision-making.
How APAC Has Turned into Clinical Trial Behemoth
From being a consistent participant in clinical trial conduct worldwide, the APAC has emerged as a major power. A number of causes, including the region's thriving drug development innovation and the ongoing presence of international pharmaceutical corporations conducting multiregional studies, are driving this growth.
