PGH

The afternoon sessions here at PGH really got me thinking about innovation. It’s a word you hear thrown around a lot in biotech – as well as many other areas of science and technology. Actually, it probably gets overused. But when you really think about the word’s true meaning, you realize that innovation is what is required to tackle global health. And that more than one type of innovation is required.

Many people would first think of the innovative scientists it takes to develop a drug or technology to address a neglected disease.

“Addressing Global Health from Bench to Beside: Necessary Actions at Each State of the Value Chain” was the topic of today’s luncheon discussion. It was another high-level panel discussion with folks from industry, government and the nonprofit sectors. Two issues in particular that kept resurfacing. One was that the term “bedside” is means much more than hospitals. Today, an estimated 2.5 billion people in the world live on less than $2 day.

It’s a phrase we’ve all heard a million times, but I found it interesting in the context of today’s panel discussion on diagnostic testing for the developing world.

I’m fascinated by priority review vouchers. The concept is a creative new mechanism that’s capturing a lot of people’s attention at the PGH conference. And how the vouchers came into being is even more fascinating. Basically, the vouchers are a means of encouraging R&D for conditions that, otherwise, would be largely ignored - you know, those conditions that affect the 1 billion “forgotten people” I blogged about yesterday. These vouchers provide incentives for drug makers to focus more research efforts on neglected diseases.

Every once in a while someone makes a statement that really resonates with you. At today’s luncheon, the topic was global health (of course!) and the challenges and opportunities for engaging in global health product development. Panelists included BIO’s Chairman of the Board,  Joshua Boger, president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Una Ryan, CEO of AVANT Immunotherapeutics; Vijay Samant, president and CEO of Vical; and Henri Termeer, president and CEO of Genzyme Corporation.

The question is what does the “e” stand for?

That was the subject of much discussion at the PGH Forum on this overcast morning in Reston, VA.