A stronger Danish life science - advice to the Danish government from industry and academia Oslo Life Science Conference 2017 Liselotte Højgaard, MD DMSc Professor, Head of Department Chair, Danish National Research Foundation s
Thank you very much for the invitation About the speaker: Professor, University of Copenhagen. Director Nuclear Medicine & PET, Rigshospitalet – from 1757. Staff 12,000 and 2.000 publications per year. Chair of the Danish National Research Foundation – Grundforskningsfonden. Board member Karolinska Instituttet & Robert Bosch Stiftung. Chair Horizon 2020, AG, Health. Previous EMRC President & Editor-in-chief, Ugeskrift for Læger, ICMJE. Conflicts of interest: The department collaborate with the Life science industry in Denmark and internationally.
Other conflicts of interest We collaborate with PET & nuclear medicine in many hospitals in Norway. I have worked with Läkartidningen for many years. DNRF foundation has a Norwegian board member. I am member of the Olav Thon Foundation, the Science Advisory Board. Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world – and Lysebu outside Oslo– the Foundation for Norwegian Danish Collaboration – is my favorit place.
Research output The Nordic countries are high up on the rank lists of publications per capita, and health research is an important driver.
Research citations and top 10 % pub.
Health research weight From ”Forskningsbarometeret”, Ministry of Higher Education & Research, Denmark 2016
The Danish life science industry Export 100 bio DDK = 13 bio € . Novo Nordisk, Lundbeck, LEO Pharma etc. Coloplast, AMBU, Radiometer– personal aids, ICT, eHEALTH. Biotek – with growth potential.
History of the Danish life science industry Novo Nordisk – The Danish Nobel Laureat August Krogh got the insulin recipe from Banting & Best in Canada i the 1920’ies, created Nordic Insulin, with revenue to research. Competitors established NOVO. United as Novo Nordisk and Novo Nordisk Foundation 1989. LEO Pharma – Prof. KA Jensen got the penicillin SOP in London from Sir Alexander Flemming during the second world war. Radiometer - blood gas analysis developed by Prof. Astrup, RH and Engineer Schrøder during the polio epidemic, 1950’ies. Ambu – Engineer Holger Hesse and Prof. Henning Ruben – 1956 the world’s first self inflating resuscitator, the ambu bag. Coloplast was created by Nurse Elise Sørensen in 1954. Her sister had a colostomy. No new big companies in recent years in Denmark.
History, continued The Carlsberg Laboratory was created by Brewer I.C. Jacobsen, Carlsberg in 1875. The brewer donated his fortune and the brewery to The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. (We still own it). The yeast research was inspired by Louis Pasteur and was important for Chr. Hansen, Novozymes, and the present Biotek industry. Take home message: Good products are based on science !
Growth Team for Lifescience The Danish government established a so called ”Vækstteam for life science” in August 2016. The report will come out in March 2017. It is of course confidential until release. Recommendations for how Denmark can create growth and increase export of drugs and medico products.
Members are: Kåre Schultz, CEO, Lundbeck, Chair Allan Flyvbjerg, professor, CEO Steno Diabetes Center Kristian Helin, Professor and Vicedean, University of Copenhagen, Liselotte Højgaard, Professor, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Excecutive Vice President, Novo Nordisk, Martin Olin, CEO, Sympogen Thomas Kongstad Petersen, Vice President, LEO Pharma Lars Rasmussen, CEO, Coloplast, Anders Thelborg, CEO, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark, Helle Ulrichsen, STARS
”Mission for Growth Team” Attractive framework for research and clinical research • Access to capital (private and available financing opportunities), both in • terms of venture capital and capital connection. Upscaling of life science companies • Access to skilled labor • Flexible and effective procedures for the approval of clinical trials and • drugs Advanced production, including clarification of relevant productivity • requirements from the authorities Access to domestic market • Strategic internationalization efforts • The reimbursement system and the public pricing and use of drugs are not included as part of the analysis.
Organisation First meeting September 2016 with 2 hours ”round table” with key stake holders from industry, academia, hospitals, public and private organisations, 4 ministers and their permanent secretaries and staff – and members of Vækstteam. 4 Meetings with all members of Vækstteam – chaired by Kåre Schultz. Launch March 2017. Staff from from ministries Ministry of Health SUM, • Ministry of Higher Education and Science UFM, • Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs EM, • Ministry of Foreign Affairs UM • Ministry of Finance FM •
Growth Team work process 2-3 members of Growth Team work together and meet to discuss and draft report. Same structure for all chapters, and focus on recommendations. Staff from ministries and input from key stake holders (LIF, Lægemiddelindustriforeningen, the organisation for Medicinal Companies in Denmark, Medicoindustrien, the organisation for medical technology, DI, Dansk Industri, Lægeforeningen etc.). The drafts presented by authors at Growth team meetings and discussed thoroughly and adjusted. If you can make high level people work – it works.
Observation Although members came from different backgrounds we shared the same interpretation of problems and ideas for improvements and solutions. The previous reservation from academia towards collaboration with the industry is less marked.
General remarks Danish research is doing well, including in life science. Quality can be improved through even more focus on excellence. Clinical research can be streghtened through better research possibilities in hospitals and with clinical research groups in networks accross the country: Lungs, brain, cancer etc. A model like Next 2.0. A Danish Medicinal Agency of the highest quality. We suggest Copenhagen as the new home of the European EMA.
NEXT – National Experimental Therapy Partnership is a public-private partnership within clinical research consisting of the regions of Denmark, universities, twelve pharmaceutical companies and one GTS institute. The partnership was established on 1 November 2014 as an INNO+ partnership, with the Innovation Fund Denmark investing DKK 50 million in the partnership over a five year period and the partners investing DKK 114 million. Oncology, respiratory medicine, dermatology, infectious diseases and bioinformatics.
Launch of the report March 27th, 2017 Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, members of Growth Team. The press and key stake holders from industry, academia, hospitals, public and private organisations. Newspaper and television debates etc. Report and implementation plan. Implementation of recommendations through a political proces in Parliament and Government. Discussions among key stake holders creating ownership and change.
Research funding in Denmark 3 % of GDP with public funding 1 % and life science app. 30 %. The Innovation Fund with strategic aspects 1.4 bio DDK. The Danish Council for Independent Research 1.2 bio DDK. From EU with ERC, Research Programmes and EIT 1.2 bio DDK. Substantial cuts in 2016 – funding should be increased.
The Danish National Research Foundation Centers of Excellence in social science, humanities, science, technology and life science 100 mio DKK and 10 years . Evaluated in 2013 – research on par with the best in the world (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge).
The Danish National Research Foundation DNRF 2 % of funding, but behind 15 % of Danish patents from public institutions. Blue sky research creates innovation. There is applied research and not yet applied research , LERU, Sir Lescek Boryschiewitz, Cambridge.
The first Nordic Center of Excellence 1585 The astronomer Tycho Brahe had 1 % of the Danish - Norwegian GDP for his Center of Excellence in 1585 on the island Hven in Øresund. Hven is now Swedish. Tycho Brahe Stella Nova Uranienborg, Hven
The Danish Government and regions has launched a national strategy for personalized medicine in 2016. Together with the universities and funders.
Danish registries • Total population registry • High data quality • Cover Denmark • Coherent, combinable • Longitudinal • The first global cancer registry from the 1943
Danish National Biobank and Computerome computer 15 million biological specimens at Statens Serum Institut with distributed biobanks linked in a database. National biobanks and registry with coordination center. Computerome 800 square meter at DTU Risø.
Væksthus – Green House - Incubator World class innovation - Through research - With excellent possibilities for young people -
Growth Team report in March 2017 If you are interested have a look at the report March 27th, 2017. Sometimes we spend a lot of time on reports. The political process after launch is important – and debate among key opinion leaders. For laws, rules and regulations 90 MPs behind a proposal are needed.
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