What can the academy contribute to the availability and affordability of new treatments? What are the main opportunities, issues and possibilities to foster this role of the academy? FAST is commissioning an identification and analysis that seeks to answer such questions about academia-driven therapy development. The report is expected to be published next month.

Researchers within universities and other knowledge institutions are increasingly involved in drug development, such as advanced therapies (ATMPs) and drug repurposing. This academia-driven therapy development offers particular opportunities in situations where industry sees few opportunities (yet) to develop a profitable product. Academia-driven therapy development is of great importance for patients who currently cannot get adequate treatment. Academic research can, for example, provide more certainty about safety and effectiveness, so that an (orphan) drug does become attractive to industry. Knowledge institutions also develop treatments that can be given (often on a small scale) in an umc, such as stem cell therapies.

The translation of academic knowledge into available and affordable treatments is often difficult. This fact has long been known and was expressed, for example, in the KNAW report ‘Efficiency gains through innovation in medicines development: how can science contribute?‘ from 2021. However, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and other stakeholders needed a more detailed analysis of the current situation, specifically focusing on the bottlenecks on the path from laboratory to patient. There was also a need for an overview of (possible) incentives. At the request of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, FAST therefore commissioned the strategic consultancy firm SiRM (Strategies in Regulated Markets) to conduct an identification and analysis. This report is now nearing completion.