Session 2. How to potentiate Drug Discovery in Spain?

The ability to generate novel therapies in Europe, and in particular in Spain, has been declining over the last few years. In parallel, there is a profound transformation in the models by which new drugs are discovered and developed.
The session will address:
1) The current landscape of organizations involved in the generation of new drugs, highlighting their different roles and interactions.
2) The direct weight and impact this specific activity has on the biomedical sector and the innovation profile of the country as a whole
Finally, some recommendations to improve the competitiveness and self-sufficiency of the public and private Spanish biomedical sectors will be presented for discussion.

Pharma’s evolving role in bringing innovation to patients and the healthcare systems

Pharma companies being able to own the whole value chain from target identification to bringing products to the market is now well and truly part of history. Most of the innovation that can lead to products happens outside pharma, many aspects of pharma’s R&D process have become commodities, few companies have the bandwidth to be experts in everything. Pharma is increasingly part of a network in which many types of organisations each play their own role. Clearly, this comes with challenges, notably because of the differences in purpose and needs of stakeholders of the different segments of this network, eg academia, biotech, CROs, pharma itself. Clear actions can be taken to optimise the way the system works, or, in language commonly used, to enhance the ecosystem

Value creation in biotechnology through entrepreneurship and investment

The world of biotechnology “start-ups” and entrepreneurship offers exciting new avenues for driving state-of-the-art research to impact the wellness of society. The realm and the role of the bioscience sector are rapidly changing, creating new opportunities for small start-ups and biotechs. In particular, as large pharmaceutical companies downsize their R&D workforce in response to pricing and regulatory pressures, they seek to invest in and/or acquire smaller companies and focus their efforts on product marketing, sales, and distribution. Through examples and experiences we will reflect on the role that startups and venture capital play in the drug discovery process and how they connect with other players to progress their ideas towards the clinic.

The Data-Driven R&D Autobahn to Cures

The need for sophisticated drug discovery tools and platforms with improved accuracy is highlighted by the fact that success rates of clinical trials remain at a low level. Based on many technological advances and new biological insights, the opportunity to change the odds and improve the success rates has never been as clear and as achievable as today. In this presentation, we will share Evotec’s vision on how to address the coming drivers for the future with personalised, preventive, and predictive approaches, the usage of new, intelligent, data-driven technologies and platforms, and the creation of operational efficiencies and processes to accelerate access to more precise and effective medicines for all patients.

Organised by SDDN in collaboration with Fundacion Medina

FUNDACIÓN CENTRO DE EXCELENCIA EN INVESTIGACIÓN DE MEDICAMENTOS INNOVADORES EN ANDALUCÍA

AVENIDA DEL CONOCIMIENTO 34, 18016 ARMILLA

CIF G18889444