Singapore: The Shimadzu Global Pharma Summit 2012 held in Singapore sent out an unaninmous message that it is high time that pharma firms adopt innovative strategies to churn out new drugs at a higher successful rate and minimal failures. The mantra of the day is not only to innovate, but also collaborate and implement new technologies in the process of drug development.

Giving an analytical perspective on innovation for successful drug stories, Ms Rhenu Bhuller, global VP, Frost and Sullivan, stated that currently partnerships still isolated and there needs to be more global ventures. For instance, 90 percent of the research in vaccine is coming from Europe, however, it is predicted that in the years to come, this percentage will drop to 78 percent but the countries that will pick up in vaccine development is not US but Asian countries such as India, China, Taiwan and Korea." She further added that innovation is not about solving a disease but preventing it.

A high quality drug is obtained through innovation in technologies. Dr Bianca Avramovitch, senior director, head of analytical technologies unit, expert of global generic R&D, Teva Pharmaceutical, Israel, emphasized that technologies play a key role in making or breaking the success venture of a new drug profile. "Any drug application has two sides, one is clinical and other is technical. Even for generic drug manufacturer, FDA approval requires quality standard from manufacturing to product launch. It is the new technologies that will bring faster development of drugs, minimizing the chances of errors."

She also mentioned that speed and excellence brings balance in drug development. "Sophisticated technologies at development and manufacturing stage speeds up the market launch of a drug. Inadequate product development results into slow reponse to regulatory queries and leads to multiple cycle of reviews, delaying the product deadline."

Affirming to the above views, Dr Ashwani Sathaye, Novartis healthcare, India, pointed that the question of the hour is how to achieve faster and efficient drug development. She opined that, "It can be achieved through merging deeper scientific understanding with cost efficiency and effectiveness. Drug discovery process involves high multi-phase, complex and dynamic process and hence need significant investment and strong focus."