Letter from the Editor

Innovation is in the air 2014

2014 marks the year of innovation at PharmaVOICE.

As we look to mark the 10th anniversary of the PharmaVOICE 100 — the most inspiring people in the industry award — this July, we will be celebrating the many innovations that are changing the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life-sciences landscape, and the innovators, who are leaving an indelible mark on the industry throughout the year.

We are kicking off this year of innovation with this month’s cover story — Innovation Incubators — in which we explore the incubator model of drug discovery and development. We are hearing from experts from multiple innovation labs how the culture and support created by incubators is a viable option for building the industry pipeline while contributing to the overall advancement of biotechnology. Incubators are commonly used at the very beginning stages of research and discovery, and often pair veteran entrepreneurs with scientists to help guide them toward commercialization.

We asked experts in the clinical services industry to provide us with their insights on where the opportunities lie and what the barriers are to innovation within the drug development process. We also asked them to think about recent notable innovations that they believe will make a mark in the near term. These executives provided us with a variety of answers. Check out this month’s C-Suite to see what has their engines revving.

We will be tracking various organizations that are supporting and encouraging innovation, such as The Merck I Heritage Provider Network Innovation Challenge (see this month’s Innovation Corner in Upfront for more info); PATH, an international nonprofit organization that transforms global health through innovation, whose approach blends the entrepreneurial spirit of business, the scientific expertise of a research institution, and the passion and on-the-ground experience of an international NGO; the World Economic Forum, which just named TruTag Technologies as a 2014 Technology Pioneer, for its “edible barcode," which can be placed directly on pills to ensure authenticity; and Friends of Cancer Research, which just launched the online forum “Engaging Innovation," the inaugural entry is an interview and video with one of our country’s leading innovators, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and a 2013 PharmaVOICE 100 honoree. Dr. Collins sat down with Friends of Cancer Research to talk about personalized medicine, research funding, sequestration, and opportunities for young scientists in America. (Follow the conversation on Twitter @CancerResrch.)

We will be writing, blogging, tweeting, and podcasting about the topic of innovation throughout the year, and we encourage you to join the conversation, send us your feedback on what you think are the top innovations, alert us to who you believe are the cutting-edge innovators, and let us know how your company is innovating to keep pace in this ever-changing industry we call home.

We wish you a prosperous and joyous 2014.

Regards,

Taren Gron
Editor
[email protected]

Their Word…

Denise Myshko
Managing Editor
The FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation offers a new regulatory pathway for products for life-threatening diseases.

Robin Robinson
Senior Editor
Industry supported incubators are contributing to the pipeline void as well as boosting innovative science overall.

Kim Ribbink
Features Editor
More and more big pharmaceutical companies are drawn to the Philippines, with its rapidly growing economy and rising investment in healthcare.

Coming in February 2014

Specialty Markets: Defining a New Commercial Model
The App Revolution
Orphan Drugs & Rare Diseases
Women’s Healthcare
FDA Inspections
C-Suite: Biotechnology
Commercialization
Market Focus: Singapore
Showcase Feature
Outsourcing

Volume 14 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
National Account Manager – Trish Kane, Cathy Tracy
Webcast?Network?Producer – Daniel Limbach
Circulation Assistant – Kathy Deiuliis

PharmaVOICE (ISSN: 1932961X) is published monthly except joint issues in July/Aug. and Nov./Dec., by PharmaLinx LLC, P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Periodicals postage paid at Titusville, NJ 08560 and additional mailing offices.

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