A June 28 press release from pharmaceutical and biotech analysis source EvaluatePharma says, “Lipitor's patent expiry this year precipitates the steepest decline in the industry's patent cliff, with $139 billion predicted to be lost from sales of branded drugs between 2011 and 2016, equal to 20 percent of the global pharmaceutical market last year.”
In his April 13 blog on Forbes.com, “The Death Of The Blockbuster Drug: A Cheat Sheet,” Matthew Herper says, “There really is an upheaval happening now in the way medicines are invented and also in how they are sold. …These days, drugs become big sellers because they justify extremely high prices for narrow uses.”
Although “Drug Makers in Desperate Need of New Revenue Streams,” is a bit over a year old now, the Healthcare Trends article provides some interesting insights into the impact of FDA approvals and late-stage drug failures, and the potential of cancer-fighting drugs. Says the author, “With virtually every blockbuster on the market set to lose patent protection in the next few years, the onus of innovation weighs heavy on major drug makers. It looks like it's time for drug makers to put on their thinking caps and get back to the lab.”
Speaking of labs, a June 27 press release from OgilvyEarth and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide noted: “In the healthcare industry, the R&D lab is the traditional engine of innovation, yet the report 'Healthcare Marketing in the Age of Sustainability' offers an overview of the relationship between healthcare and sustainability today, as well as insight on the future direction of these efforts. In a year when 10 drugs contributing to $50 billion in sales will face patent expiration, the report offers a perspective on potential new avenues of innovation.”
The press release notes, “While it is unlikely that revenue growth will be completely decoupled from the lab in the near term, there is a quantifiable bottom line opportunity to pursue greener, more social products and business strategies. The report finds that long-term industry success will be realized by companies that are able to link their success to solving the world's most intractable health and environmental problems. Healthcare companies that are investing in sustainability initiatives ahead of the curve see that their own sustainability initiatives are helping them achieve competitive advantages.”
Abbott, Bayer, Lilly, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and GE Healthcare are among the healthcare companies mentioned in the press release that are becoming involved in social strategies.
Time will tell if sustainability initiatives and social strategies can bring home the financial bacon, but Amgen's First Annual Sustainability Report sheds some very real economic benefits related to packaging, energy, water, and waste (recycling).
To paraphrase Dr. Michael Drues, “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” It appears to be time for a new and more sustainable approach.
-Jim Butschli, Editor, Healthcare Packaging
In his April 13 blog on Forbes.com, “The Death Of The Blockbuster Drug: A Cheat Sheet,” Matthew Herper says, “There really is an upheaval happening now in the way medicines are invented and also in how they are sold. …These days, drugs become big sellers because they justify extremely high prices for narrow uses.”
Although “Drug Makers in Desperate Need of New Revenue Streams,” is a bit over a year old now, the Healthcare Trends article provides some interesting insights into the impact of FDA approvals and late-stage drug failures, and the potential of cancer-fighting drugs. Says the author, “With virtually every blockbuster on the market set to lose patent protection in the next few years, the onus of innovation weighs heavy on major drug makers. It looks like it's time for drug makers to put on their thinking caps and get back to the lab.”
Speaking of labs, a June 27 press release from OgilvyEarth and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide noted: “In the healthcare industry, the R&D lab is the traditional engine of innovation, yet the report 'Healthcare Marketing in the Age of Sustainability' offers an overview of the relationship between healthcare and sustainability today, as well as insight on the future direction of these efforts. In a year when 10 drugs contributing to $50 billion in sales will face patent expiration, the report offers a perspective on potential new avenues of innovation.”
The press release notes, “While it is unlikely that revenue growth will be completely decoupled from the lab in the near term, there is a quantifiable bottom line opportunity to pursue greener, more social products and business strategies. The report finds that long-term industry success will be realized by companies that are able to link their success to solving the world's most intractable health and environmental problems. Healthcare companies that are investing in sustainability initiatives ahead of the curve see that their own sustainability initiatives are helping them achieve competitive advantages.”
Abbott, Bayer, Lilly, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and GE Healthcare are among the healthcare companies mentioned in the press release that are becoming involved in social strategies.
Time will tell if sustainability initiatives and social strategies can bring home the financial bacon, but Amgen's First Annual Sustainability Report sheds some very real economic benefits related to packaging, energy, water, and waste (recycling).
To paraphrase Dr. Michael Drues, “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” It appears to be time for a new and more sustainable approach.
-Jim Butschli, Editor, Healthcare Packaging
