“Personalized medicine (PM) has been described as 'the right drug, for the right patient, at the right time, at the right dose.' National health systems and private payers would like to add 'at the right price, as well.”
That's according to Angelo DePalma, a writer/consultant whose opinions appear in an article posted last week in Eye for Pharma.
An individualized treatment based on each patient's unique physical/biological needs, PM is contrary to the model most pharmaceutical developers have been using for years. But it is taking hold and could be a boon to an industry which has been watching “big pharma's one-size-fits-all approach to drug development,” unravel for some time.
Its future looks bright, according to DePalma, because it reallocates healthcare resources more equitably and in the direction of patient benefit. “At best,” says DePalma, “the industry would recoup lost revenues through better patient compliance and higher prices, at least in some markets.” Still, some experts say wide availability of personalized medicine is 10 to 20 years off.
PM's development is also spurring innovation in some large pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Elan. Drugs are being repurposed and rediscovered during testing to provide greater efficacy as well as an opportunity to “uncrowd the marketplace and provide greater value as well.”
In one case, he says, “the personalization of cancer therapy could spare patients from unnecessary treatments and side effects, while streamlining the drug decision-tree and lowering costs for payers.” That is promising for all.
Pairing drugs with tests—similar to diabetics testing their blood sugar levels to adjust medication--will create niche opportunities for entrepreneurs. One source predicts that easily “future therapeutics and diagnostics will be aligned more closely than they are today.”
Perhaps the “one-size-fits-all” model is on its way out. Perhaps not.
At the very least, PMs will help this industry flesh out niche markets and open up avenues of income that profit the pharmaceutical community and its customers—YOU and ME.
It's even harder to predict how packaging, which strives to be as automated as possible, will evolve to address the many challenges posed by personalized medicine. -
Gretchen Edelbrock, contributing editor
That's according to Angelo DePalma, a writer/consultant whose opinions appear in an article posted last week in Eye for Pharma.
An individualized treatment based on each patient's unique physical/biological needs, PM is contrary to the model most pharmaceutical developers have been using for years. But it is taking hold and could be a boon to an industry which has been watching “big pharma's one-size-fits-all approach to drug development,” unravel for some time.
Its future looks bright, according to DePalma, because it reallocates healthcare resources more equitably and in the direction of patient benefit. “At best,” says DePalma, “the industry would recoup lost revenues through better patient compliance and higher prices, at least in some markets.” Still, some experts say wide availability of personalized medicine is 10 to 20 years off.
PM's development is also spurring innovation in some large pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Elan. Drugs are being repurposed and rediscovered during testing to provide greater efficacy as well as an opportunity to “uncrowd the marketplace and provide greater value as well.”
In one case, he says, “the personalization of cancer therapy could spare patients from unnecessary treatments and side effects, while streamlining the drug decision-tree and lowering costs for payers.” That is promising for all.
Pairing drugs with tests—similar to diabetics testing their blood sugar levels to adjust medication--will create niche opportunities for entrepreneurs. One source predicts that easily “future therapeutics and diagnostics will be aligned more closely than they are today.”
Perhaps the “one-size-fits-all” model is on its way out. Perhaps not.
At the very least, PMs will help this industry flesh out niche markets and open up avenues of income that profit the pharmaceutical community and its customers—YOU and ME.
It's even harder to predict how packaging, which strives to be as automated as possible, will evolve to address the many challenges posed by personalized medicine. -
Gretchen Edelbrock, contributing editor
