Aided by our newly-prototyped tool called Appeering (first described here and soon to be in closed beta), we begin this week’s biotech roundup in the UK, which led the news and provoked some lively, nuanced conversations around healthcare economics and policy:
- First, some of UK’s leading health experts weight in on recent news around whether Novartis’ Avastin should be used as a cheaper alternative to Lucentis for wet macular degeneration. Sparked by a post by Lancet Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton, experts like Claire Gerada (Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners) and Alan Maynard (health economics professor at York University) debated the role of UK regulatory agencies in changing protocols to allow more off-license use of meds, and argued whether MD advocacy groups should be pushing MDs to prescribe off-label given evidence that patients may benefit. A link to that conversation can be found here: http://www.appeering.com/lifesciences-shared/index.php/conv/194668472465231872
- AstraZeneca was in the news earlier in the week with their acquisition of Ardea Biosciences for over $1B. It seems that the company is working to drive change and fill their pipeline..
- …but apparently not fast enough for their critics. This brings us to the strategic implications of David Brennan’s exit from his post as AZ’s CEO. Our perspective, mirrored by many of the conversations, is that analysts could be more thoughtful about the results of their critique of senior management of companies such as AstraZeneca. In particular, it is prudent to be realistic about how long it takes for new initiatives to bear fruit. One case in point is the entrepreneurial “innovative medicines units” or “iMeds” (championed by the well-regarded Martin Mackay) to drive R&D productivity. Why is there such a major disconnect between the time it takes to launch new drugs and Wall Street’s expectations of managing for the near term?
- Staying in the UK, another discussion touched on the implications of new UK legislation which allows nurses and pharmacists to prescribe controlled drugs:
Finally, back in Boston… We are liking Scott Kirsner’s cool new series “The Friday Five” where he wraps up the top 5 stories in tech and biotech. This week his guest host was our own Daphne Zohar: http://t.co/QRTsJ8t5
-Phil Murray
Top Biotech Tweeters This Week:
@richardhorton1
@ProfAlanMaynard
@clarercgp
@david_m_booth
@tommoberly
@johncfierce
@shelleypetersen
@farmerfunster
@realendptsellen
@lifescivc
@pharmachem1
@scottkirsner