In this series, Dialogues+ is taking a look at innovation brought about through collaborations between physicians and biopharmaceutical/medical technology companies. Today, we look to potential future innovations and recent developments from the National Institutes of Health.
Accelerating Medicines Partnership
In February 2014, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new public-private partnership, the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP). AMP consists of the National Institutes of Health, ten pharmaceutical companies and several organizations including the American Diabetes Association and the Alzheimer’s Association. P4HD partner PhRMA is also an AMP member.
The Diseases
AMP will first focus on three main disease areas: Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes and autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis and lupus). Through three to five year pilot projects for each of the three disease areas, scientists from the NIH and industry organizations are developing research plans that will work to identify biological targets for new therapies and treatments.
The Partnership
AMP is a cross-sector partnership and will be managed through the Foundation for the NIH. NIH and the organizations are sharing the costs of this partnership to the tune of $230 million dollars. This partnership will allow companies to take a wealth of data on the biological cause of diseases and turn that data into usable treatments for diseases that are constantly evolving and require urgent patient care.
The Goals
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
AMP aims to transform the current model for developing new diagnostic tests and treatments. Additionally, all of the data and research produced through these projects will be shared publically. By releasing this information, the NIH hopes that companies can use the data to produce new therapies at a quick pace.
Sources:
Accelerating Medicines Partnership
Article announcing the partnership from The Wall Street Journal
Blog post from Dr. Francis Collins, head of NIH
Blog post from Dr. William Chin, Executive Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, PhRMA
