Patient outcomes key to measuring value of innovation

By Yuan Shenggao | China Daily | Updated: 2019-04-09 08:08

Medical experts appealed for more attention to be paid to patients' outcomes when evaluating the efficiency of innovation in the healthcare industry during the Second International Pharmaceutical Innovation Forum that took place on March 26 in Beijing.

Despite rapid technological advancements - digitalization, data availability and genomics - making breakthroughs in innovation remains the priority for the healthcare industry, said Belen Garijo, member of the Executive Board, CEO Healthcare, Merck.

Making new options affordable to patients is a major goal of the industry, Garijo said. The challenge, according to Garijo, is that innovation is expensive.

The healthcare industry spends 20-30 percent of revenue in R&D every year in the hope their innovation will be rewarded with a premium proportional to the patients' improved outcomes.

Regarding the evaluation of new drugs, a broad set of guidelines should be created to ensure the evaluations are in place and executed, Garijo said.

China has emerged as a major innovation hot spot. Merck has pledged to make further progress in the country with a focus on improving the health and quality of life for its citizens and patients, Garijo said.

For China in particular, the answer to further improving patient outcomes can be summarized as the following: Broader and faster patient access to new therapies; government commitment to innovative healthcare industry development; and a collaborative dialogue between industry and government stakeholders to address patient needs in a cost-effective manner.

In 2017, China became a member of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, or ICH.

Harmonization can only proceed based on close and trusted collaboration among the pharmaceutical industry, regulators, healthcare professionals and patients. And China has taken important steps in this respect.

Full understanding and swift implementation of ICH is the best way to set the foundation for drug discoveries and patient access to innovative high-quality medicines in China.

"I am very pleased that our company and industry regulatory experts partnered with Chinese experts on designing the ICH guidelines training, and our industry associations - the R&D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations - allowed us to engage constructively with stakeholders throughout the process," Garijo said at the forum.

In addition, success in innovative biopharma requires strong leadership coupled with a science-driven culture and a model that aims to unite members for the best and fast decisions, Garijo added.