The Hindu Business Line : Merck seeking alliances to accelerate drug discovery

R&D challenges
Failure rate in drug discovery and development is 93%.
Partnerships would play a major role in Merck’s R&D strategy.
Merck looking to expand presence in Asia.

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Feb. 8 It takes 10-15 years and nearly $802 million to develop a new medicine.

And to achieve this, the rate of failure in drug discovery and development is a steep 93 per cent.

With just a 7 per cent chance of success, the going is getting tougher for global drug companies that are investing heavily into research and development.

For example, in 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved only 19 new drugs and vaccines. Of these, two were biologicals. This is the lowest since 1983.

Giving this snapshot of the high investment and high risk in the new drug discovery field, a top executive at Merck & Co, which has an R&D spend of over $5 billion, said that drug discovery is a tyranny now.

Virtual Lab

How does one face the challenge? Researchers at Merck are charged with the task of building a ‘Virtual Lab’, by mounting the best scientific programmes in their area, whether it comes from internal research, external collaboration or both, said Mr Bharatt M. Chowrira, Vice-President, Sirna Therapeutics and Executive Director, Worldwide Licensing & External Research.

Explaining the R&D model of the global pharma company, he said the focus would remain on novel science, developing the best in class therapies, reducing cycle times, improving productivity, and increasing the success rate from 7 to 9 per cent through the collaboration route.

Partnerships

Mr Chowrira, who delivered the keynote address at the three-day BioAsia 2008, said Merck’s R&D strategy would be embracing partnerships. This means ensuring a strong internal research capability and leveraging it through collaborations with partners.

“We are looking to expand our presence in Asia. We respect the chemistry expertise, especially in India and China,” he added.

Mr Chowrira cited the examples of their collaboration with Nicholas Piramal and Advinus, which has the backing of the Tata Group, in drug discovery and development.

More Stories on : Alliances & Joint Ventures | Pharmaceuticals

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page