Symbiotic relationship between a research institute and a pharmaceutical company: the Baker Institute/Glaxo Australia story.
1. The Baker Medical Research Institute is a non-profit, charitable institution to advance knowledge and solve problems in the area of cardiovascular medicine. This allows scientists to collaborate within a critical mass and be flexible in their approach to research. 2. The Institute has interactions with the pharmaceutical industry at three levels: (i) contract research on a specific molecule; (ii) clinical trials; and (iii) collaborative basic research agreements. 3. The Glaxo Australia-Baker Medical Research Institute Agreement is for curiosity driven research in specified areas of vascular pharmacology of interest to Glaxo Group Research. 4. The relationship between universities, research institutes and the pharmaceutical industry is discussed in terms of the starting point for drug development. 5. The enormous cost (US$100 million), lead time (10 years) and uncertainty of a successful profitable drug are compelling reasons why an independent pharmaceutical company is unlikely to succeed in Australia today.
Angus
J A
JA
Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
D000047:Academies and Institutes; D001315:Australia; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics; D012106:Research; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics