UpFront AbbVie Announces Art Gallery On Chronic Inflammatory Disease AbbVie has launched Perspectives — Art, Inflammation and Me, an initiative designed to add a different dimension to the current understanding of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and their impact on patients and society. More than 200 artistic expressions provide new perspectives into some of the often underestimated burdens associated with these conditions. The initiative involves more than 200 artists from more than 40 countries around the world. Perspectives will visit various art galleries and medical conferences throughout the world. “The stories and artworks in Perspectives contribute to the current understanding of these diseases and their impact on patients and society from a very personal and emotional point of view," says Isidro Villanueva, M.D., Ph.D., group therapeutic area lead, medical affairs, immunology, at AbbVie. Artist Barbara Miller’s depiction represents a patient with Crohn’s disease who, much like a game, has personal wins, losses, and draws when dealing with a chronic illness. PTC Founder Receives Sol J. Barer Award PTC Therapeutics’ Founder and CEO Stuart Peltz, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2014 Dr. Sol J. Barer Award for Vision, Innovation, and Leadership. Named for Sol J. Barer, Ph.D., founder and former chairman and CEO of Celgene, the award recognizes research and business leaders who have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of the biosciences industry in New Jersey and throughout the world. Dr. Peltz was honored in 2009 as a PharmaVOICE 100 for his scientific creativity, business pragmatism, and operational ingenuity. ACA Lowers Prescription Costs There has been slower growth in health spending since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This is consistent with data showing savings from generic medicines reaching $217 billion in 2012 and $1.2 trillion over the most recent decade, according to the 2013 Report on Generic Drug Savings in the U.S., the fifth annual report compiled by IMS Health on behalf of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA). Overall national health expenditures grew at an annual rate of 3.7% in 2012, marking the fourth consecutive year of low growth, the CMS Office of the Actuary reports. Health spending as a share of gross domestic product fell slightly from 17.3% in 2011 to 17.2% in 2012. Life-Sciences VENTURE?Capital Declines Venture capital funding for the life-sciences sector declined by 1% in dollars invested and 3% in number of deals compared with 2012, according to a PwC US report, which includes data from the MoneyTree Report from PwC and the National Venture Capital Association based on data provided by Thomson Reuters. VCs invested $6.6 billion into 778 life-sciences deals in 2013, compared with $6.7 billion in 800 deals in 2012. Biotech companies raised $4.5 billion in 470 deals during 2013, placing it as the second-largest investment sector behind software. Investments in biotechnology for all of 2013 increased by 8% in value, while volume declined by 2%. Investments in biotechnology increased 43% in dollars and 10% in deals with $1.3 billion flowing into 134 deals during the fourth quarter of 2013. “With the strong exit markets for biotech in 2013, 2014 is set up for renewed interest in life sciences," says Greg Vlahos, life-sciences partner, PwC. “First-time funding saw a strong finish to the year. The enduring interest in early-stage opportunities will continue to drive investments in the sector." GSK Launches 2014 Discovery FAST?Track Challenge GSK is inviting academic scientists to enter their most innovative drug research proposals into its 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge, a program designed to accelerate the translation of early-stage research into new medicines. Building on the success of its first program in 2013, which ran in the United States and Canada, GSK is implementing the challenge for a second year and expanding it to include Europe. Scientists whose entries are selected will collaborate with GSK’s Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc) team to test their hypotheses on potential disease pathways or targets against GSK’s library of compounds. “Through this challenge we’re paving the way for innovative new collaborations between academic scientists and investigators in GSK’s DPAc team," says Pearl Huang, global head of DPAc. s INDUSTRY at Large AbbVie Announces Art Gallery On Chronic Inflammatory Disease ACA Lowers Prescription Costs Life-Sciences VENTURE Capital Declines Awards… PTC Founder Receives Sol J. Barer Award Innovation Corner… GSK Launches 2014 Discovery FAST Track Challenge Web Seminar Digital Signatures for Corporate Governance & Compliant Collaboration April 9, 2014, 1pm ET Sponsored by: CoSign by ARX White papers Cutting Costs, Saving Time: Improving Life Sciences Operations with Digital Signatures Provided by: CoSign by ARX Case Study: Tracking and Evaluating Marketing and Digital Media Initiatives by Measuring Social Media Efficacy Provided by: Genpact Case Study: Tracking Brand Sentiments Through Social Media Analysis: Putting a Leading OTC Brand in Control Provided by: Genpact Five Steps to Analytical Maturity: A Guide for Pharma Commercial Operations Provided by: SAS Anticipating Success: Meeting the Inherent Development Challenges of Complex Injectable Drug Substances Provided by: Vetter Pharma International
