This period of unprecedented R&D productivity was not destined to last and despite our best efforts, there were fewer scientific breakthroughs over the course of the 1990s and early 2000s than had been expected. Coupled with this, early advances in our understanding of genomics – the field of science focusing on DNA and genes – were not transformational in improving our ability to develop new medicines, as many experts had predicted.
Right now, only 10% of medicines in development ever reach patients. The vast majority of potential medicines fall by the wayside because we have not properly understood the link between the biological process in the body that our drug is targeting and the disease we want to treat. [1]
But that is beginning to change. The number and scope of diseases that scientists are tackling is increasing, and a wave of exciting new therapies is emerging. This includes medicines that fundamentally alter the course of – and in some cases, offer the potential to cure – disease.