Don't forget the biopharma ecosystem

STAT recently published a somewhat polarizing opinion piece on drug pricing — concluding that large pharmaceutical companies do little in the way of innovation in drug development. Another recent report suggested that if $1 trillion were removed from the pharma industry, current research investments still would not be affected.

John Stanford, who leads a coalition of life science venture capitalists called Incubate, heartily disagrees with both these assessments. He argues you have to take stock of the broader biopharma ecosystem, and how innovation at the smaller companies would not be possible if not for the maneuverings of the larger fish.

“If we are going to identify solutions that truly benefit patients, we must begin by recognizing that drug development occurs in a vibrant but fragile environment made up of entrepreneurs, investors, academics, government, patients, and yes, companies large and small,” he writes. “You cannot fundamentally alter one, without affecting all the others.”