Pharmaceutical R&D Productivity: The Role of Alliance

Abstract

In recent years, the major research-intensive biopharmaceutical companies (big pharma) have come face to face with a perfect storm of eroding profit margins from blockbuster expiration and generic competition coupled with growing R&D expenses and declining advances in truly novel therapeutics. With long-term research divisions shed in favor of short-term outsourcing options and with public good will at historic lows, industry innovators have sought to reinvent the model of big pharma, its relationship in public-private partnerships, and the role of technology and technology policy in reform. In this paper, we highlight a number of the major alliances reshaping the industry and the role of government, research institutions, and other players in the public-private interface in these endeavors. In particular, this paper looks beyond traditional biotechnology parternships and focuses instead on the developing consortia between biopharmaceutical companies and with clinical research organizations and academic institutions. We examined each alternative model of alliance, identified specific hurdles and potentials for increased productivity.