Drug Development Case Study

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Drug Development: Historical Influences, Recent Trends and Emerging Fields within the Pharmaceutical Industry
Introduction
In recent years, the cost of drug development has been rising at an unprecedented level. The cost of developing a new drug target was estimated to be $802 million in 2003, having risen from $138 million in 1979 and $318 million in 1991 [1] [2] [3]. These numbers are averages within the industry for the “average drug”. There is variation within the industry with cost estimates ranging from $521 million to $2.1 billion [4]. As this cost continues to rise, the levels of innovation within the industry have largely remained constant. An average of five or six first in class new molecular entities (NMEs) have been approved each year, but the percentage of these that are so called “blockbusters” has declined [5]. This alarming trend has raised several questions on the sustainability of the current research and development (R&D) model utilized by today’s pharmaceutical companies.
Because of this sustainability question, alternative methods have been suggested to help improve the efficiency and productivity of R&D. The general consensus within the industry is that without a redevelopment of the current model could eventually have long-lasting and wide-ranging effects. These includes reduction of effective drug compounds, which could potentially lead to a decreased life expectancy rate [5].
By examining historical factors that affect the regulation of the industry, reasons for the rising costs and lower productivity can be determined. Recent trends and emerging fields that have contributed to the causes for the rising costs of drug development, as well as worked to improve efficiency and reduce costs, within the drug ...

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...he industry, which include an ever rising cost of drug development, a large number of patent expirations, and the decline of R&D expenditures for antimicrobial agents. These all could potential lead to negative impacts, not only in the pharmaceutical and biologics industries, but for society as well.
Although there have been many pessimistic views within the industry, there have been several positive trends developing in recent years. These developments appear to signal the evolution of the industry towards a more sustainable model. The cost of development of both the average drug and NMEs continue to rise, new advances in R&D technology and process have shown promise to help reduce this cost by increasing the likelihood of approval. Among these methods are the development of early phase proof of concept testing, the increased usage of genomics within the industry,

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