Pharmacologists in the vanguard of pharma R&D
pharmafile | July 21, 2010 | Feature | Business Services, Research and Development |Â Â BPS, Clinical Pharmacology, pharmacology, researchÂ
The British Pharmacology Society (BPS) is the primary UK learned society concerned with research into drugs and the way they work. Our members work in academia, industry and the health services, and are well placed to offer consultation and practical support in this area.
I am chairman of a new BPS industry group which has been set up to create stronger links with members in industry. Through the group, we want to establish areas of common interest, and then set out a series of proposals to enhance interaction between the BPS and its members in industry, and to support large, medium and small companies in the life sciences arena.
The changing face of R&D
Pharmacology has a very considerable part to play in the ongoing evolution of pharmaceutical research and development.
The consolidation and reorganisation of R&D in large pharmaceutical companies, twinned with the creation of spin-out companies, is dramatically changing the industry landscape.
But the sector still depends on one thing: the discovery and development of new medicines for areas of unmet medical need. The potential of biologic drugs, alongside the evolution of small molecule R&D is an example of just one of the exciting frontiers in the field.
This work requires an in-depth understanding of drug targets and disease mechanisms, the relevance of animal models in selecting effective doses for trials in man, and knowledge of how test compounds will be absorbed and metabolised in man. Pharmacology is a key discipline across all of these areas and pharmacologists (basic science and clinical) are involved in all aspects of the safe prescribing of medicines, the discovery and development of new medicines and an understanding of how drugs produce beneficial and deleterious effects.
Scientific advances at the interface between basic science explored in animals and the way in which drugs work in man, together with the biological markers that can indicate whether a drug is effective and safe, all contribute to the decisions about whether a novel compound should continue to be tested and evaluated in animals and in man.
The UK has an extremely strong science base, and there are a number of key initiatives currently underway to bring academic science and industry groups together, to remove bottlenecks in the research and development process, and to speed up the delivery of new medicines to patients.
Tell us what you think
The BPS values its relationship with industry and is looking to provide more opportunities for members working in this sector to benefit from, for example, BPS sponsored workshops, fora, networking, opportunities for continuing professional development and links to key science policy initiatives.
As part of this activity the BPS Industry Group is seeking your views on those areas that the industry community see as most important to increase the efficiency and value of your work.
This survey can be accessed at: www.wiley.com/go/BPSpharma.
The feedback we receive will be summarised and made available, as will the plans of the BPS to enhance its relationships and support for this community.
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