trend: big pharma partnering biotech.

Two interesting articles in FiercePharma today. One about AstraZeneca. Another about Sanofi.

In the first, AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan says Big Pharma is in the middle of a sea change. On the one side are drugmakers aiming for mega-mergers as a remedy for their ills. On the other are companies relying on collaboration and partnerships. In his speech to the European Biopharmaceutical Conference in Monte Carlo, Brennan stated, "We are looking beyond the confines of our research and development, and commercial organisations, to embrace new opportunities with external partners. Only by changing our ways of working will we deliver sustainable levels of medical innovation over the coming years."

The article goes on to state, "Makes you wonder whether Brennan and Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher, and even GSK CEO Andrew Witty are hanging out togteher, as they are saying similar things about their strategies."

The second article is about Sanofi, and CEO Chris Viehbacher's speech at the Pacific Health Summit in Seattle. Viehbacher said, "The traditional intergrated Big Pharma model is passe. Sure, Big Pharma is still quite good at commercialisation of meds and dealing with regulators, but now drugmakers need to be close to biotechs and academia "to capture some of that creative genius."

At the bottom of the Sanofi story is the link to Viehbacher's full speech reported in Xconomy. Five pages, but very interesting reading.

So three of the Top 5 Big Pharma are pursuing a strategy of partnering emerging biotech? Do I have a problem with this? And if by some extreme circumstance the deal with Sanofi fell over, do I think these other guys would themselves be falling over each other to grab the opportunity? No wonder the big fella negotiated sub-licensing rights in the Exclusive Licence with Sanofi. Ben Hur's got nothing on this....

A good weekend to all.