Singapore, May 21, 2010:  Professor Paul Herrling, Head of Corporate Research, Chairman of Novartis Institute of Tropical Diseases - Singapore and Head of Corporate Research - Novartis International AG, Switzerland

What do you perceive are the five major challenges in R&D in next five years?

There are of course, more than five challenges in R&D. Drug discovery and development is one of the most complex endeavors in the world. Here are some thoughts on a few:  We must do a better job at expanding the druggable universe. For a medicine to work, requires that it interact with a “target”. These targets are individual proteins that control cellular function in the body. The challenge is to find novel targets that are druggable. At Novartis we are working to expand the druggable universe by mapping biological pathways in the body to find novel targets and then exploring modalities such as siRNA to target them.

We must also reduce the attrition rate of compounds moving through our pipeline. Some industry experts estimate that it takes approximately 14 years and more than $1billion to bring one medicine to market. We are trying to shift this paradigm by focusing our efforts on diseases where we understand the fundamental disease mechanism and know there is an unmet medical need. These diseases are often rare and genetically well defined. Before going on to full clinical trials we use small Proof-of-Concept clinical trials to test compounds in small groups of patients (5-10) to enable “go” or “no go” decisions earlier in the process. This approach has improved the quality of our later stage pipeline by halting the progress of ineffective compounds earlier, allowing us to focus efforts and resources on more promising projects.

We must also break down scientific, cultural, physical and geographic silos to enable research teams to do their work. Innovative ideas and scientific exchange flow seamlessly in a physical and intellectual environment where researchers have broad freedom to explore new directions in science. To maximize opportunities for the free flow of ideas, our new research laboratories are designed as open spaces with no cubicles and few walls. Scientists are connected to knowledge and their colleagues by the integration of informatics, bioinformatics and communication tools in the physical lab space. This enables research teams to collaborate in real time with colleagues across the room, across campus or across the ocean.

With personalized medicine on the horizon, is the era of blockbuster drugs over? If not, why?  

In Research, blockbuster vs. non blockbuster is not a consideration as we consider projects. We believe that if a medicine works for patients, there will be a market. Our R&D philosophy is founded on two pillars: an unwavering commitment to addressing unmet medical need and the pursuit of fundamental disease mechanisms that are scientifically well understood. Our goal is not to improve present medicines incrementally, but rather to improve dramatically the practice of medicine.  When we refer to unmet medical need we mean patients, not market size, so we are willing to focus on diseases that are uncommon.  However, when we do so, it is with the belief that the disease mechanism we treat, even in a rare disease, is involved in other disorders and therefore may have a broader impact. In 2009, two medicines born from this approach were approved in the US and Europe; Illaris for CAPs, a family if autoimmune disorders, and Afinitor, which was approved for treating renal cell carcinoma and is now being tested for treating other cancers.

According to you, how will research within the life science industry evolve in the next five years?  

I see the major change within the life science industry being the shift in focus to developing drugs that are beneficial to patients, no matter the size or location of the population. Putting the patient first and following the science to make a medicine for that patient, we believe, is a winning strategy.