Events
VI Pharmaceutical Industry Conference
On the 28th of January 2010 the Hotel Ritz in Lisbon was the stage for the VI Pharmaceutical Industry Conference, sponsored by the Diário Económico newspaper and by MSD (Merck, Sharpe& Dohme), and this year dealing with cerebral diseases. It was presented by Professor João Lobo Antunes, a teacher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL) and included the presence of two secretaries of state and a host of important figures in the area of health.
One of the first speakers, the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, stated the need to develop a programme in the biomedical field, and in relation to this stressed the setting up, almost a year ago, of a programme between the FMUL and Harvard Medical School in order to reinforce research and translational medicine. In an analysis of Research and Development (R&D) he stated that in 2008, spending on R&D went up to 2.8% of the GNP, when in 1982 it was 0.3% of the GNP. The importance of this sector is reflected in the growth rate of scientific publications, in which between 2000 and 2008 there was a 185% growth in the field of medical and health sciences.
![](http://news.medicina.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/P1280458-244x183.jpg)
The Secretary of State pointed out that at this moment there are seven researchers for every 10,000 active workers, with a high percentage of women, with an exponential increase in new PhDs in health sciences and biosciences. He also recalled the growing stimulus to translational research, namely the Harvard Catalyst programme connecting hospital, medicine faculties and research centres.
In Europe 27 million people are the bearers of a brain disorder.
Another of the speakers, Patrick Brundin, Professor of Neurosciences in the University of Lund, in Sweden, discussed innovation focusing on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, pathologies that are the most frequent but also the most expensive. The search for new medication and new forms of therapy is difficult and costly, he stressed. Patrick Brundin stated that each new therapy, from the beginning of the research period to its commercialisation, costs between 800 and 1,000 million Euros. The progressive ageing of the population is leading to a great increase in neurological diseases. He also stated that about 27 million people out of a European population of 277 million are the bearers of a brain disorder, at the moment representing about 35% of the diseases registered in Europe. In 2050 the number is predicted to be 100 million.
Managing to foresee diseases such as Alzheimer is a major challenge, particularly because the existing therapies are insufficient because they cannot stop these diseases, and each one of them is a progressive path towards incapacity, he said. “Do we want to know that in twenty years we will have a certain disease, particularly if there is no therapy for it?” Patrick Brundin asked.
The challenges in neurosciences.
The neurosurgeon Professor João Lobo Antunes spoke about the ethical challenges in neurosciences through which several disciplines, such as Neuromarketing, Neurotechnology, Neuroaesthetics (John Rogers Searle), Neurophilosophy (António Damásio), have been developed, posing several different ethical, legal and social issues given that they deal with moral judgement, the truth, free will and determinism, stated Professor Lobo Antunes. Questions that are all the more important because “the brain is special”. He also discussed pharmacological control with the use of drugs for undesirable memories which have been experimented in the military. He stated the importance of knowing up to what point humanity has the right to act upon predetermined facts, choosing one of the genetic characteristics and eliminating others, and that it is wise to reflect upon ethical research on intelligence.
Professor Lobo Antunes stated that there is a genetic basis for intelligence and that in relation to this, according to a Dutch study, between 1952 and 1982 IQ increased by 20 points, but he considered that in influencing in the choice over genetic characteristics we may be “creating a society in which some people are genetically rich and others poor”. In spite of everything, he told the audience that he considered that the ethical issues raised by neurosciences have been answered quickly. “Good science generates good ethics, even when this involves moral risks”, he considered. (presentation)- "Ethical issues raised by neurosciences"
In his talk, the ex-minister for health, Dr António Correia de Campos, stressed that the increase in life expectancy implies an increase in neuro-degenerative illnesses, which double every twenty years. “The European Union (EU) has fashions. Diseases like AIDS and cancer were once the fashion in the EU, and now it is brain diseases”, he stated. In his view R&D investment and in innovation have a great potential for return. But despite the high cost of neurological diseases investment in R&D in Europe is 1.7%, seven times less than in the USA. In this aspect the investment does not live up to the EU’s wish for leadership in development, Dr António Correia de Campos considered.
In his presentation, Dr Rogério Gaspar, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon and specialist in Nanomedicine, warned about the failure rate in clinical research. He stated that “… in the development of new drugs there is a Great increase in research costs, an increasing weight in waste, that is, the failure rate that is around 95%; only 5% of research gets onto the new drug market”, he stated. He also considered that in relation to the nineties there has been a reduction in the molecules being placed on the market and research is more and more expensive, but he considered that “it is important for ethical responsibility to look at research that is translatable in the sense of going from the preclinical to the clinical and to be given access to patients”. (presentation)-"Nanomedicine: R&D after 30 years of Clinical Experience and the Issue of Access to New Technologies".
The growing importance given to brain illness.
One of the speakers, Diogo Vasconcelos, executive administrator of Digital Europe, UK, focused his speech on the importance of reinventing Europe through innovation. He considered that “if in the middle of the crisis there is the disposition for change, then this is a moment of challenge for Europe to guarantee the sustainability of its growth through innovation”. In his view innovation and research have to be set alongside the main social challenges in order for us to come out of the crisis in the best manner possible. He stressed that innovation is above all synonymous with new solutions in infrastructures, in models of financing, in the reduction of bureaucracy in procedures and in connections among countries, and quoted in relation to this one of the most renowned economists of the XX century, considered as the prophet of innovation, Joseph Schumpeter. (presentation)- "Reinventing Europe through Innovation"
It was left to the Assistant Secretary of State for Health, Manuel Pizarro, to make the last speech in the conference, pointing out that “there is a pattern that is being changed, leading to Portugal today having a considerable set of companies with an enormous portfolio in innovation”. Indeed, he gave the exporting of medication as an example, which was more than 400 million Euros in 2008, being more than the exports in Port Wine, which spoke well of the good period that the pharmaceutical industry is going through.
Providing new answers or reducing the severity of symptoms of serious neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Multiple Sclerosis were the most important challenges set out at this conference, in which research and innovation were also subjects under focus and where the growing importance given by the scientific community to brain illness was made clear.
Carlos André
Editorial Team
carlos.andre@campus.ul.pt
One of the first speakers, the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, stated the need to develop a programme in the biomedical field, and in relation to this stressed the setting up, almost a year ago, of a programme between the FMUL and Harvard Medical School in order to reinforce research and translational medicine. In an analysis of Research and Development (R&D) he stated that in 2008, spending on R&D went up to 2.8% of the GNP, when in 1982 it was 0.3% of the GNP. The importance of this sector is reflected in the growth rate of scientific publications, in which between 2000 and 2008 there was a 185% growth in the field of medical and health sciences.
![](http://news.medicina.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/P1280458-244x183.jpg)
The Secretary of State pointed out that at this moment there are seven researchers for every 10,000 active workers, with a high percentage of women, with an exponential increase in new PhDs in health sciences and biosciences. He also recalled the growing stimulus to translational research, namely the Harvard Catalyst programme connecting hospital, medicine faculties and research centres.
In Europe 27 million people are the bearers of a brain disorder.
Another of the speakers, Patrick Brundin, Professor of Neurosciences in the University of Lund, in Sweden, discussed innovation focusing on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, pathologies that are the most frequent but also the most expensive. The search for new medication and new forms of therapy is difficult and costly, he stressed. Patrick Brundin stated that each new therapy, from the beginning of the research period to its commercialisation, costs between 800 and 1,000 million Euros. The progressive ageing of the population is leading to a great increase in neurological diseases. He also stated that about 27 million people out of a European population of 277 million are the bearers of a brain disorder, at the moment representing about 35% of the diseases registered in Europe. In 2050 the number is predicted to be 100 million.
Managing to foresee diseases such as Alzheimer is a major challenge, particularly because the existing therapies are insufficient because they cannot stop these diseases, and each one of them is a progressive path towards incapacity, he said. “Do we want to know that in twenty years we will have a certain disease, particularly if there is no therapy for it?” Patrick Brundin asked.
The challenges in neurosciences.
The neurosurgeon Professor João Lobo Antunes spoke about the ethical challenges in neurosciences through which several disciplines, such as Neuromarketing, Neurotechnology, Neuroaesthetics (John Rogers Searle), Neurophilosophy (António Damásio), have been developed, posing several different ethical, legal and social issues given that they deal with moral judgement, the truth, free will and determinism, stated Professor Lobo Antunes. Questions that are all the more important because “the brain is special”. He also discussed pharmacological control with the use of drugs for undesirable memories which have been experimented in the military. He stated the importance of knowing up to what point humanity has the right to act upon predetermined facts, choosing one of the genetic characteristics and eliminating others, and that it is wise to reflect upon ethical research on intelligence.
Professor Lobo Antunes stated that there is a genetic basis for intelligence and that in relation to this, according to a Dutch study, between 1952 and 1982 IQ increased by 20 points, but he considered that in influencing in the choice over genetic characteristics we may be “creating a society in which some people are genetically rich and others poor”. In spite of everything, he told the audience that he considered that the ethical issues raised by neurosciences have been answered quickly. “Good science generates good ethics, even when this involves moral risks”, he considered. (presentation)- "Ethical issues raised by neurosciences"
In his talk, the ex-minister for health, Dr António Correia de Campos, stressed that the increase in life expectancy implies an increase in neuro-degenerative illnesses, which double every twenty years. “The European Union (EU) has fashions. Diseases like AIDS and cancer were once the fashion in the EU, and now it is brain diseases”, he stated. In his view R&D investment and in innovation have a great potential for return. But despite the high cost of neurological diseases investment in R&D in Europe is 1.7%, seven times less than in the USA. In this aspect the investment does not live up to the EU’s wish for leadership in development, Dr António Correia de Campos considered.
In his presentation, Dr Rogério Gaspar, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon and specialist in Nanomedicine, warned about the failure rate in clinical research. He stated that “… in the development of new drugs there is a Great increase in research costs, an increasing weight in waste, that is, the failure rate that is around 95%; only 5% of research gets onto the new drug market”, he stated. He also considered that in relation to the nineties there has been a reduction in the molecules being placed on the market and research is more and more expensive, but he considered that “it is important for ethical responsibility to look at research that is translatable in the sense of going from the preclinical to the clinical and to be given access to patients”. (presentation)-"Nanomedicine: R&D after 30 years of Clinical Experience and the Issue of Access to New Technologies".
The growing importance given to brain illness.
One of the speakers, Diogo Vasconcelos, executive administrator of Digital Europe, UK, focused his speech on the importance of reinventing Europe through innovation. He considered that “if in the middle of the crisis there is the disposition for change, then this is a moment of challenge for Europe to guarantee the sustainability of its growth through innovation”. In his view innovation and research have to be set alongside the main social challenges in order for us to come out of the crisis in the best manner possible. He stressed that innovation is above all synonymous with new solutions in infrastructures, in models of financing, in the reduction of bureaucracy in procedures and in connections among countries, and quoted in relation to this one of the most renowned economists of the XX century, considered as the prophet of innovation, Joseph Schumpeter. (presentation)- "Reinventing Europe through Innovation"
It was left to the Assistant Secretary of State for Health, Manuel Pizarro, to make the last speech in the conference, pointing out that “there is a pattern that is being changed, leading to Portugal today having a considerable set of companies with an enormous portfolio in innovation”. Indeed, he gave the exporting of medication as an example, which was more than 400 million Euros in 2008, being more than the exports in Port Wine, which spoke well of the good period that the pharmaceutical industry is going through.
Providing new answers or reducing the severity of symptoms of serious neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or Multiple Sclerosis were the most important challenges set out at this conference, in which research and innovation were also subjects under focus and where the growing importance given by the scientific community to brain illness was made clear.
Carlos André
Editorial Team
carlos.andre@campus.ul.pt
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