New frontiers in medicine
While much progress has been made within the field of medicine over the past 100 years, some of the most common and life-limiting illnesses remain without highly effective treatments.
Breakthroughs in genomic sequencing and data processing are allowing drug developers to apply highly specific and precise interventions for many of these illnesses, in what we believe will be the ‘third wave’ of pharma innovation.
The first wave was largely about chemistry − simple compounds created in labs − that could address everyday sicknesses and illnesses. The second wave moved from largely inorganic chemistry to organic chemistry − involving large, organic molecules or protein-based therapies that are much more effective and have fewer side effects.
Now we are at the beginning of the third wave − the genetic era − that could be transformative for health care. Gene therapy, which transplants ‘normal’ genes in place of missing or defective ones to address the disease, and gene editing, a type of gene therapy that involves precise manipulation of a specific sequence of the genome are being developed as highly-targeted treatments.
Source: Capital Group
The third wave of biopharma innovation coincides with another nascent technological innovation − artificial intelligence − which together could result in profound leaps in scientific discoveries, not least within medicine. Currently, over 90% of all experimental medicines in development are expected to fail1. However, some studies suggest that companies using AI to expedite drug discovery could lead to 50 additional novel therapies over the next 10 years2.
The confluence of these new technologies and the pace of innovation is paving the way for novel treatments that are addressing major, but largely untreated illnesses worldwide. Examples of areas with encouraging rates of development include obesity, cancer, cognitive impairment and pain management.
For deeper insights on the growth and innovation opportunities across the health care sector, download the full paper.
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