Title of talk: Socially responsible licensing of drugs and vaccines: The role of public sector R&D in the discovery of drugs and vaccines
Speaker: Dr. Ashley Stevens, D.Phil (Oxon), CLP, RTTP, President Focus IP Group, LLC, USA and Lecturer Strategy and Innovation Department, School of Management, Boston University, USA
Date: 25 Feb 2022 | Time: 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/25feb-techex
Please note: The zoom link to join the event will be emailed to registered participants a day before the event
Abstract: Historically, public-sector researchers have performed the upstream, basic research that elucidated the underlying mechanisms of disease and identified promising points of intervention, whereas corporate researchers have performed the downstream, applied research resulting in the discovery of drugs for the treatment of diseases and have carried out development activities to bring them to market. However, the boundaries between the roles of the public and private sectors have shifted substantially since the dawn of the biotechnology era, and the public sector now has a much more direct role in the applied-research phase of drug discovery. We identified new drugs and vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that were discovered by public-sector research institutions (PSRIs) and classified them according to their therapeutic category and potential therapeutic effect. We found that during the past 40 years, 153 new FDA-approved drugs, vaccines, or new indications for existing drugs were discovered through research carried out in PSRIs. These drugs included 93 small-molecule drugs, 36 biologic agents, 15 vaccines, 8 in vivo diagnostic materials, and 1 over-the-counter drug. More than half of these drugs have been used in the treatment or prevention of cancer or infectious diseases. PSRI-discovered drugs are expected to have a disproportionately large therapeutic effect. We concluded that public-sector research has had a more immediate effect on improving public health than was previously realized.
About the speaker**:
Dr. Stevens has worked in the biotechnology industry for 28 years, assisting both startup companies and academic organizations in turning promising ideas into useful products. Formerly, he served as director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He was cofounder and general manager of Genmap, Inc., and was vice president of business development for BioTechnica International. He started his career with the Procter and Gamble Company, where he held positions in sales, marketing, strategic planning, and acquisitions. Dr. Stevens is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).
**Source: https://www.analysisgroup.com/experts-and-consultants/affiliated-experts/ashley-j–stevens/
