The medicines industry can offer the Australian economy significant competitive advantages in a post-mining boom future, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw will tell the Prime Minister’s Economic Forum in Brisbane tomorrow.

Dr Shaw, invited by the Prime Minster to contribute to the Forum, said the medicines industry is well positioned to help secure the future of Australia’s innovative manufacturing base.

“We can develop this industry even further into one of the key Australian high-tech industries to help set up a post mining-boom economy, but we do need the right policy settings to encourage innovation, research and manufacturing,” Dr Shaw said.

“At a time when Australia is debating the economic value of manufacturing in this country, we have an industry that already delivers so much to the community and economy through jobs, skills, wages, exports and R&D.

“With some key reforms the medicines industry will be able to continue contributing substantially to sustainable economic growth, driving global investment and supporting high-wage jobs. But we need to ensure Australia is more globally competitive, that we have a stable business environment, and that innovation is valued and supported.

“We have the people, the skills, the ideas, the research, the infrastructure, the companies, the experience and the critical mass to take the next steps and make Australia a key niche player in the global medicines industry.

“The opportunities from the innovative industry, the generics industry, and the emerging biotech industry are there if Australia wants to capitalise on their potential.”

Dr Shaw will point to key areas where the Australian medicines industry is already making a substantial contribution to the economy and capitalising on Asian growth, including:

• Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline Australia announced that it will invest $60m in its Victorian manufacturing plant to supply markets in Asia. The company is also a major global supplier for influenza medicines.
• In 2011, AstraZeneca Australia announced that it would revitalise and upgrade its manufacturing plant in Sydney to supply the Chinese market with asthma medicines.
• CSL, the leading Australian-owned manufacturer of vaccines and medicines, is one of Australia’s leading industrial companies and is expanding its biologic R&D facilities in Melbourne.
• IDT Limited, an Australian-owned company based in Melbourne, exports active ingredients for cancer medicines to companies all over the world.
• Australia supplies a quarter of all poppies required to make medicinal opiates, largely sourced from Tasmania.
• Leo Pharma, a Danish company, has production facilities on the Gold Coast in Queensland that manufacture active ingredients for skin conditions.

“These are exciting innovations that will deliver economic value to Australia, with improved policy settings and real support for innovation,” Dr Shaw said.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

The former chairman of Medicines Australia and longstanding advocate of the Australian medicines industry Will Delaat has been awarded an AM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list today.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the recognition was a fitting reward for Mr Delaat’s exceptional leadership of the Australian medicines industry.

“I congratulate Will on this richly deserved honour,” Dr Shaw said.

“I am personally delighted that his immeasurable contribution to the industry over the course of four decades has been acknowledged in this way.

“Will has been a passionate advocate for the Australian medicines industry for many years and has been instrumental in driving key policy change and securing a viable investment environment for the medicines industry in Australia.

“It is in no small part because of Will’s leadership that we have a medicines industry in Australia that is recognised for the nearly $4 billion a year in exports and over $1 billion a year in R&D investment it generates.

“The Australian medicines industry continues to make available new medicines and vaccines for Australian patients and Will’s dedication has been a key part in helping develop that.

“He co-chaired the Industry-Government Access to Medicines Working Group, and chaired the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council.

“He led the industry through major reforms of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, including the negotiation of the historic Memorandum of Understanding between Medicines Australia and the Australian Government, that have resulted in a sustainable, well-managed PBS with low expenditure growth.”

Mr Delaat served on the board of Medicines Australia from 1998 to 2011 and was chairman between 2003 and 2005 and then from 2008 to 2011.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

A new international report released this week highlights the importance of governments and the health system recognising how new medicines get developed.

The Many Faces of Innovation, produced by the Office of Health Economics in the United Kingdom, found that incremental innovation is just as important to developments in medicine as miracle breakthroughs.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said today: “This new report shows that governments, evaluators and academic commentators often don’t recognise innovation as an important part of providing new treatments for patients.

“We frequently hear from evaluators and experts that a medicine is either ‘innovative’ or ‘not innovative’, assuming that such a black and white distinction can be made.

“In fact, much of the technological development in medicines is gradual, progressive improvement on earlier treatments that over time leads to major improvements for patient health.

“Cancer treatments are a great example. While individually each new cancer treatment may only extend a patient’s life by a few months, we know that the cumulative effect of these improvements has increased the average lifespan of a cancer patient by four years.

“This new report shows that patients benefit from incremental improvements in medicines in a number of ways, be it incremental improvements in life expectancy, fewer doses being required, fewer side effects or cheaper costs.

“For some reason, as a society we seem to welcome incremental technological innovation in products like cars, aircraft or vacuum cleaners, but when it comes to medicine this is often dismissed.

“The problem is that when governments are hell bent on cutting costs this distinction often gets lost and the benefits to patients and the community are ignored.

“Medical experts or financial accountants sometimes criticise incremental improvements as not being important. Yet such improvements can be enormously beneficial to a patient outcome.

“Now more than ever, when governments around the world are trying to cut expenditure on medicines in an effort to save money, it is imperative that we don’t lose sight of the benefits of incremental improvements in medical technology.

“Otherwise we run the real risk that while we may save a few dollars in a budget line item, ultimately Australians will miss out on improvements in medical technology that will benefit them and their families.

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“This is an important report about the future of medical care and I encourage policymakers and academics making judgements about the worth of new treatments to read it.”

The report, commissioned by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, can be found at: http://www.abpi.org.uk/_layouts/download.aspx?sourceurl=/our-work/library/industry/Documents/Many%20Faces%20of%20Innovation.pdf.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia congratulates two of its member companies, Janssen and Shire, who have won accreditation in the 2012 Aon Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand Accreditation Program.

Jansen and Shire were among only 14 companies to be accredited in the annual program which is open to companies from all over Australia and New Zealand.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the recognition of the two companies underscored the credentials of the Australian medicines industry as a great place to work.

“The fact that two members of the Australian medicines industry have been accredited by the Aon Hewitt Best Employers program, and judged to be among the best 13 companies on the continent in that respect speaks volumes for our industry,” Dr Shaw said.

“There are undoubted commercial advantages in encouraging a strong and positive workplace culture and providing employees with an attractive and appealing working environment, and the Australian medicines industry has a great tradition in this regard.

“These nominations are testament to the Australian medicines industry as a great place to work, and an industry that values its employees.

“The 14,000 people who work in this industry are ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things, making the medicines and vaccines that save lives, reduce pain and prevent disease.

“It is because the Australian medicines industry is such an engaging and rewarding place to work that we can continue to attract brilliant people to conduct this vital work.

“I congratulate both companies on their accreditation as part of this prestigious awards program.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw will again brave the depths of Canberra’s perishing winter, sleeping in a cardboard box to raise money in support of homeless Australians.

Dr Shaw will be participating in the St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleepout on 21 June, outside the National Gallery of Australia. The Sleepout is conducted at centres around Australia.

“It’s a great thing to do for a good cause,” Dr Shaw said.

“With Canberra’s overnight minimums already reaching minus four degrees, I initially had some trepidation about sleeping out in the middle of a Canberra winter.

“But it occurred to me that for many people there isn’t a choice about whether or not to sleep out, they just have to.

“We need to do all we can as a community to help homeless people get off the street and into proper accommodation.

“Clearly there’s more we can do to support the homeless and perhaps end homelessness, so I’m really delighted to be helping out in is way.

“We need to be much more aware of the plight of homeless Australians. I hope that the CEO Sleepout will help give this serious social issue the attention it deserves.

“There are a whole lot of issues that homeless Australians have to confront every night which very often we don’t even think about. The CEO Sleepout gives participants a much better insight into some of those issues.

“Hopefully I can raise enough money to help make a difference and give me some solace through the night.”

Dr Shaw is also blogging on his training regime in the lead-up to 21 June.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia today launched a new booklet which sets out the medicines industry’s role in encouraging the quality use of medicines.

‘Quality Use of Medicines’ is the term to describe choosing a suitable medicine, using medicines safely and effectively to get the best possible results and selecting management options wisely.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said: “I am particularly proud of this publication.

“The Australian medicines industry has for many years undertaken various activities to promote the quality use of medicines as part of its standard business model.

“But until today, there has been a need to do more to explain what we do in a quality use of medicines framework.

“This new guide explains in simple, consumer-friendly language, how the sort of activities medicines companies undertake as part of their business contribute to the ultimate goal of ensuring the right patient gets the right medicine at the right time.

“Those activities include clinical trials, post-marketing surveillance and adverse event reporting.

“The booklet helps explain clearly how the industry works with other participants in the health sector, such as government, health professionals, patient groups and the community, to promote the quality use of medicines.”

Medicines Australia has also provided its member companies with an online guide to the principles of quality use of medicines for the industry, examples of industry activities that contribute to quality use of medicines and best practice examples with particular medicines and activities.

“It’s another way that the industry is working together to support one of the four pillars of the National Medicines Policy,” Dr Shaw said.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

A new international report on the global competitiveness of 14 countries has ranked Australia the second least competitive as a market for clinical trial investment. The 2012 KPMG Competitive Alternatives report shows that of the 14 countries under review, only Japan is a more expensive country in which to invest in clinical trials.

The report shows Sydney ranks 111th out of 113 in the list of most expensive cities – more expensive than every city except Tokyo and Osaka. Brisbane ranks 110th, Melbourne 108th and Adelaide 103rd.

Speaking on International Clinical Trials Day, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the report represented a very negative scorecard of Australia’s global competitiveness as a location for clinical trial investment.

“It’s is not a great way to celebrate International Clinical Trials Day,” Dr Shaw said.

“This report shines a light on the huge amount of work we need to do to make Australia more competitive in our ability to attract clinical trials from overseas.

“It’s now more expensive to conduct a clinical trial in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide than London, Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Sao Paulo, and just about every other city named in the report. That’s just not good enough.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that when it comes to scientific and commercial capability in running clinical trials, Australia is among the best in the world.

“We have some of the world’s best medical scientists and best R&D infrastructure, and the industry is working with the Government to find ways of better capitalising on those advantages.

“But companies who want to invest in clinical trials in Australia are confronted with a slow, inefficient and cumbersome approval process. It is often cheaper and easier for them to run those trials elsewhere.

We urgently need a more streamlined system that makes it easier, quicker and cheaper for global companies to run clinical trials in Australia.

“Securing a commitment today from governments to start to change that would be a great way to mark International Clinical Trials Day.”

The 2012 KPMG Competitive Alternatives report is available at: http://www.competitivealternatives.com/reports/2012_compalt_report_vol1_en.pdf

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email:

Medicines Australia supports an international report released this week that suggests new approaches to commercialising new treatments for neglected and tropical diseases.

Assembling the pharmaceutical R&D puzzle for needs in the developing world, which was commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), proposes several mechanisms for ensuring populations that need these treatments are able to access them.

The report finds that some mechanisms designed to encourage companies to commercialise medicine for neglected and tropical diseases, such as prizes or patent pools, may not be as effective as other collaborative mechanisms like open databases, grants, public-private partnerships and advanced market commitments

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said combating neglected and tropical diseases remains a key priority for the global medicines industry.

“The fact that the global industry has commissioned a report like this shows how seriously it takes the issue,” Dr Shaw said.

“The report says that fundamentally the existing R&D model is effective, but needs to continue to adapt to changing social and economic circumstances.

“The real value of this report is that it explores in some detail the most effective ways of encouraging commercialisation of treatments for neglected and tropical diseases.

“Internationally the medicines industry is already increasing its research effort into neglected and tropical diseases at a faster rate than contributions from other sectors like governments and not-for-profit groups.

“We are eager to continue working with the broader community to ensure treatments for these diseases are available in developing countries.

“This industry is serious about finding collaborative solutions that drive the development of new medicines and vaccines for the developing world and ensure that people can ultimately benefit from these developments.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw tonight welcomed the Government’s recognition in the Budget that the Memorandum of Understanding with Medicines Australia is keeping the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme sustainable.

Dr Shaw said the Budget reflected the Government’s commitment to the MoU, which agrees to no further price related savings measures for the life of the agreement.

“The MoU is working well. It is delivering savings to taxpayers, savings to consumers and process improvements to the PBS,” Dr Shaw said

“The MoU is already well on the way to delivering a minimum of $1.9 billion in savings to the PBS.

“PBS spending growth is currently at historically low levels, so it’s clear that the MoU is working and it’s clear that the PBS is sustainable.

“The MoU provides a good framework for managing the PBS and shows cooperation between industry and the Australian Government.

“It also provides the Australian medicines industry with the business predictability that industry needs to be able to continue bringing new medicines to Australian patients and contributing to the national economy.

“The Australian medicines industry exports more than $3.7 billion of products and invests more than $1 billion in R&D annually. A predictable operating environment means the industry is better able to continue making that contribution.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw today welcomed the appointment of Dr John Skerritt as the new National Manager of the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Dr Shaw said Medicines Australia looks forward to working with Dr Skerritt on a range of regulatory issues.

“Medicines Australia has established a productive relationship with the TGA and we are committed to continuing as a key partner in the implementation of the TGA reform agenda,” Dr Shaw said.

“Dr Skerritt is an extremely experienced and well regarded scientist who is well placed to lead the TGA’s ambitious and important program of business process reforms that are underway.

“There is still much important work to be undertaken, particularly with regard to the Blueprint for reform and the Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency.

“I look forward to engaging constructively with Dr Skerritt on these and other issues.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au