Biotech industry failed by UK, says UCB
pharmafile | February 27, 2014 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Cimzia, NHS, UCB, biotech, doliveux, tellier, vimpat
The UK biotechnology industry has ‘missed the boat’ and not fulfilled its potential, according to outgoing UCB chief executive Roch Doliveux.
Speaking to journalists at the announcement of UCB’s financial results for 2013, Doliveux said that the UK had failed to “transform [its] biotechs and its fantastic science into sustainable, mid-sized companies”.
This comes as UCB celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its purchase of the British biotech Celltech, which Doliveux said it had succeeded in developing satisfactorily – despite what he saw as the UK’s opposite trend.
Doliveux said one of the main factors for the lack of success for the UK biotech industry was the equivalent lack of access to new medicines in the country, something which he sees as stifling innovation.
Although not mentioning it by name, pharma sees the main barrier to access in the UK as its health technology assessors, with England’s NICE being the main offender in this regard.
New UK drug deal
Doliveux also expressed disappointment at the renewed PPRS scheme which is the new drug pricing policy for the UK that came into force in January.
This was set to be a Value-Based Pricing system, but has been downgraded to ‘value-based assessment’ (VBA), the details of which remain vague.
But amidst the confusion over its plans, one thing has been made clear: that the £12 billion NHS patented drugs budget for England must remain at that level for this year, and grow by no more than 2% until 2017.
This has effectively limited the industry as a whole to make more money in the UK, and has been met with derision by many pharma companies working in the country.
Doliveux said: “I’m disappointed that we could not have a new system that was based on value for patients.” He added: “You cannot say you want a thriving biotech and biopharma industry and not have access to the innovation that is generated by that industry in the proper way.”
Though based in Belgium UCB employs around 600 staff in the UK, the majority of whom are involved in R&D at its immunology research site in Slough, Berkshire, making the UK essentially its second home.
When Doliveux was asked to describe a more desirable deal than VBA, Doliveux said that it was not easy to do so, joking that he was ‘not that smart’.
Another topical issue discussed was the development of data transparency in Europe, with which Doliveux said he was ‘pleased’.
But he did reiterate the view expressed last year that parties wishing to view data should justify themselves ‘scientifically’ before access is granted.
Succession plan, results
It was also announced this week that Doliveux will be succeeded in 2015 by current executive vice president of biopharma brands and solutions, Jean-Christophe Tellier – with a transitional period beginning next month.
Speaking of this changeover Doliveux quipped that his role this year would be to: “Ensure that [Tellier] is equipped and more successful than I am.”
Financially, 2013 was a mixed year for UCB. Sales of its former blockbuster epilepsy treatment Keppra (levetiracetam) continued to drop due to patent erosion and overall company revenue was down 1% to €3.4 billion for the full year.
On a more positive note, combined sales of arthritis treatment Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), seizure medication Vimpat (lacosamide) and Neupro (rotigotine) for Parkinson’s disease were up 27% to nearly €1.2 billion.
Doliveux was bullish on the firm’s future outlook, drawing attention to the fact that it will not face any patent expiries ‘for many years’ and that Keppra was still driving growth in emerging markets and Japan.
Ben Adams
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