2nd International Pharma Summit 'Rethinking Healthcare': Pharma is Reinventing Itself

The pharmaceutical sector remains on the move: "Beyond the Pill" — the search for new business models that are designed to supplement and strengthen the, to some extent, troubled pharmaceutical industry — is the battle cry in the sector.

"There is no clear path but instead a large number of different approaches and a very fast-moving and fast-changing micro and macro environment," observes Axel-Sven Malkomes, Global Head Healthcare from the investment bank Société Générale CIB. One thing is certain: "It is necessary for 'Old Pharma' to leave its comfort zone." How this can be achieved, which ideas promise success and profits, and what impetus is offered by other sectors will be presented by Malkomes and more than 25 other international experts at the Pharma Summit "Rethinking Healthcare," on 24 and 25 October 2013 in Berlin.

Euroforum, the organiser of the event, will bring together for the second time specialists from industry, hospitals, science and the world of finance, to exchange their visionary ideas for the business models of the future in a series of presentations and panel discussions. The event will be an inspiring meeting place where speakers from leading global pharmaceutical companies can meet 'young guns' from the healthcare sector to develop exceptional solutions for the dynamically changing marketplace. The programme can be viewed at: www.euroforum.de/pharma-summit

Going One Step Further

Many pharmaceutical manufacturers have developed new business models during the last few years and said goodbye to the purely vertical blockbuster approach, reports Gerd W. Stuerz, Partner of the consultancy firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young). "However, they need to go one step further in the new eco-system." He argues that it is necessary to engage in those business concepts that extend beyond the development of medicines and for companies to perceive customers both as those people who pay and as patients. International healthcare experts will discuss how this can be achieved despite falling healthcare budgets around the world in a panel discussion chaired by Stuerz.

A New Beginning for R&D

According to the consultancy experts at EY, radical new approaches for co-operation with other branches of the healthcare sector will be an important skill needed for future success in the pharma industry. There is certainly room for improvement in the view of academics: "Co-operation between industry and academia has primarily focussed on marketing and sponsoring issues up to now", says Dr Wolfram von Pannwitz, who is responsible for strategy issues at Charité in Berlin. Many projects have failed in practice during the implementation phase. At the Pharma Summit, Dr von Pannwitz will discuss which new partnerships are possible in research and development if both sides can overcome their sensitivities. Lubor Gaal, Executive Director of Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Simon Schneider, Head of Europe at InnoCentive, will also present their approaches for modern, cross-sector cooperation.

Getting to the Root of Efficiency

"If we want to rethink the concept of healthcare, we need to leave behind our linear thought processes and get to the root of efficiency," says Chris Isler, Global Head of Solution & Product Development at the American company Pfizer Integrated Health. He uses a case study to explain why the largest costs in the healthcare sector arise through incorrect behaviour and how this can be counteracted.

"Think Outside the Box"

Experts are currently extremely enthusiastic about innovations such as a mobile health scanner that monitors vital signs and also received financing of $1.66 million through crowdfunding, or a sensor wall that produces light and colours when touched and can be utilised in therapy sessions — which also made it to the final round of the Innovation Award competition. At the Pharma Summit, the inventors and manufacturers of these products — the American company Scanadu and the Dutch company Nyoyn — will discuss how they develop new product ideas and bring them to market maturity. Presentations from the automobile industry and the field of psychology are also designed to encourage participants to look beyond the limited perspectives of their own industry and develop new, creative ideas.