The Year Ahead
Last month we identified 10 mega-trends that we, as well as others, think will impact the industry going forward. One of these trends is the increasing focus on the brain and the research efforts ongoing to understand the mysteries of this three-pound organ. And while scientists have learned more about the brain in the last 10 years than in the last century through the sequencing of the human genome, the development of new tools for mapping neuron connections, and new imaging technologies, medications to effectively and with sustainability manage Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological diseases for the long term are still proving elusive. Yet, there is hope. As Dr. Deborah Dunsire, CEO of Forum Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to translating promising R&D into safe and effective medicines for patients with major brain diseases, believes we’re on a path of tremendous forward movement over the next decade.
And it’s not just companies that are focusing their resources on unraveling the complexity of the more than 100 billion nerves that serve as the center of the nervous system. The BRAIN initiative launched by President Obama in 2013 is guided by the long-term scientific plan, BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision, that details seven high priority research areas. The long-term outcomes of the initiative include the ability to: target specific human cell types to develop new therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders; discover circuit-level anatomical differences between healthy and disordered brains; treat neurological and psychiatric disorders based on knowledge of each patient’s own circuitry and neural activity patterns; discover general principles of neural coding, circuit dynamics, and plasticity; understand neural population dynamics associated with perception, learning, memory, emotion, and action; and gain insight into the neural basis of human language, symbolic reasoning, and consciousness.
In each issue this year, we will examine different aspects of this therapeutic category from research trends to patient care to commercialization.
Also in each issue this year, we will continue coverage of the popular oncology series we initiated last year. We will look at the research, products, and other trends that are defining this No. 1 therapeutic category, which is being further defined as hundreds of different diseases.
Finally, in each issue this year we will take a look at different areas of the life-sciences continuum as part of a new Then and Now series to celebrate 15 years of trend coverage in PharmaVOICE. Stay tuned for a special forum in the February issue with contributions from dozens of thought leaders who will talk about the changes they have witnessed in the past 15 years and what’s in store for the industry in the coming years. We look forward to sharing these reflections with you as well as insights from hundreds of thought leaders throughout the year as we continue to address the industry’s most-pressing challenges and greatest opportunities.
Taren Grom
Editor
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Their word…
Denise Myshko
Managing Editor
Biomarkers
are critical for today’s personalized approach to drug development.
Robin Robinson
Senior Editor
The type of information payers want and what pharma companies can provide are often worlds apart when assigning value to a drug.
Kim Ribbink
Features Editor
Despite slowing growth rates, Brazil’s pharma market continues to remain strong and attractive to global companies.
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Masthead
Volume 16 • Number 1
Publisher Lisa Banket
Editor Taren Grom
Creative Director Marah Walsh
Managing Editor
Denise Myshko
Senior Editor
Robin Robinson
Features Editor
Kim Ribbink
Design Associate
Ariel Medel
Director of Sales
Cathy Tracy
National Account Manager
Suzanne Besse
Webcast Network Producer
Daniel Limbach
Circulation Assistant
Kathy Deiuliis
Copyright 2016
by PharmaLinx LLC, Titusville, NJ
Printed in the U.S.A.
Volume Sixteen, Number One
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