Major trends driving the partnership ecosystem of global pharma with Aussie innovators: Roche GM

Pharma News: Multinational companies continue to be hungry in sourcing innovation through partnerships and collaborations to supplement internal R&D. This is in large part due to the high cost of researching and developing new drugs, high risk of failure, and significant exposure many large companies have to patent expiry of blockbuster drugs. These global organisations play an important role in nurturing Australia’s startup research and commercialisation.

Stuart Knight, General Manager of Roche Products joined Health Industry Hub to share his views on the factors determining the attitudes of global pharma companies in engaging with Australian innovators. While companies like Roche acknowledge Australia’s reputation for excellence in science and research, there are barriers that may prevent these companies from considering Australia as an external innovation hunting ground.

Stuart reflected on his contribution at the recent AusBiotech conference panel discussion on this specific topic and discussed what Roche looks for when investing in or partnering with local startups and innovators. He considered the key takeaways from the panel discussion and the future trends shaping the partnership potential between global pharma and Australian innovators.