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This paper is part of the free Open Access archive of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology
ApaTech: A biomaterials success story
Go to paperABSTRACT: ApaTech is an excellent example of how innovative technology from a British university can be…

This paper is part of the free Open Access archive of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology

Why data exclusivity is the new patent protection

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ABSTRACT:   

The Journal of Commercial Biotechnology is a unique forum for all those involved in biotechnology commercialization to present, share, and explore new ideas, latest thinking and best practices, making it an indispensable guide for those developing projects and careers within this fast moving field.

Each issue publishes peer-reviewed, authoritative, cutting-edge articles written by the leading practitioners and researchers in the field, addressing topics such as:

• Management
• Policy
• Finance
• Law
• Regulation
• Bioethics

For more information, see the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology website

Brazil is looking into foreign technology to foster innovation in the country’s industrial health complex. Biological plants are being built and partnerships with multinationals have been established with the goal to in license technology, manufacture and supply the population with biosimilars made in Brazil. This article brings up-to-date information on the biosimilar market in the country, with information on the public-private partnerships and regulatory approvals. With two biosimilars approved in 2015 and the ongoing development regarding the local pharmaceutical companies, there is a good window of opportunity to create new businesses in the soon to be 4^th pharmaceutical spender in the world. 

As the global life sciences industry changes, the most successful regions in attracting inward investment will be those that evolve and adapt to provide the most attractive offer. In Scotland, the government is developing an environment to “push” its life sciences sector to complement the strong “pull” that these changes in the global life sciences industry and in investor sentiment have created.

The Scottish Government and the life sciences industry have developed a strategy that aims to anchor in Scotland those businesses that provide vital skills and market access; increase the number of more resilient companies and comprehensive supply chains; and attract new inward investment and talent that will build on Scotland’s existing capabilities.

The Scottish Government is improving on the country’s existing strengths and aims to capitalise on prior investment in Scotland’s research excellence, particularly in areas such as stem cells and regenerative medicine and ”precision medicine”, where there are significant current and emerging commercial opportunities.

The article proposes a “virtual” biotech model for the emerging markets – termed EmergingCo – and develops a comparative financial model to argue that such a virtual biotech can deliver drug candidates from discovery through proof-of-concept (Phase II) more cost effectively than the traditional drug development paradigm. Data from published studies on drug development costs have been compared with a cost structure model for EmergingCo using a framework where all R&D can be accomplished through a virtual network of partnerships within emerging markets. A couple of case studies from China and India are used to lend support to the cost structure model. Such a model, either as a venture backed company or a virtual unit of big pharma, could provide an alternate vehicle for delivering mid-to late stage clinical candidates, similar to Lilly’s Chorus model.

As stated in a recent article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, ASCO established a Value in Cancer Care Task Force, with the goal of “developing a framework for comparing the relative clinical benefit, toxicity, and cost of treatment in the medical oncology setting. “  In developing this framework or tool, the Task Force runs roughshod over basic facts to create a metric that – while established to promote patient centered care – strives mightily to achieve the exact opposite outcome.

Flavonoids are one of the major nutrient families recognized to scientists, and comprise over 6,000 already recognized family members. A number of the best – recognized flavonoids include quercetin, kaempferol, catechins, and anthocyanidins. It is well…

Crowdfunding is an evolving popular Internet-based process used to raise funding that has been employed by a few start-ups in the biotechnology industry. To solicit crowdfunding, companies profile their case on a specialized web platform (generally called a “crowdfunding portal”) to site members (i.e., the “crowd”) who choose which projects they would like to fund, in exchange for financial and nonfinancial inducements. We examine the evolving commercial and regulatory crowdfunding landscape and also identifies case studies of biotechnology industry use. We have found that a variety of crowdfunding mechanisms have been used and this alternative financing strategy may represent a viable option for biotechnology start-ups during early stage research or early stage clinical trials. A successful crowdfunding campaign may pave the way for the enterprise’s future capital formation phases by attracting angel investors or venture capital because it shows that the business or project is viable. Crowdfunding, like all other forms of capital formation, requires careful planning and execution before, during, and after a campaign. Strategies that appropriately tap into this innovative and disruptive use of technology and social networks may prove to be a unique capital formation niche for biotechnology start-ups; one that has yet to be fully leveraged.