The 8th Aspen Institute Italia Award for scientific research and collaboration between Italy and the United States went to a study on a new synthetic protein that promises to alleviate neuropathic pain. The ceremony and panel, with the participation of several of the winning scientists, offered an opportunity to discuss the future prospects of biomedicine.
The results of scientific research in this field make it possible to envisage the gradual replacement of chemistry’s contribution to medicine with a new approach based on biology and personalized treatment. The main challenge is that of sustainability.
Extensive investments by industry and the growing productivity of clinical studies are evidence of the progress the sector has made and potential future developments. Nevertheless, to be successful, this revolution calls for more effective collaboration among all actors concerned. This is an especially important aspect for a country such as Italy, whose pharmaceutical sector contributes a full 2% of GDP, half of which is generated by foreign capital companies. Maintaining the country’s appeal to international firms involves a series of targeted concerns, starting with intellectual property rights and the importance of training and retaining highly qualified human capital.
That is where the role of private operators working in treatment, hospital research and training comes in. These can make a major contribution to sector innovation in terms of disseminating new therapies as well as focusing training programs on making the best use of technology in medicine.
To that end, Italy must strive to adequately promote the contribution of private operators within the National Health Service, where tariff freezes threaten to stall innovation. Furthermore, such efforts must be part of a broad-based program. Various European countries have already drafted national Life Sciences plans capable of permitting, over time, the organization of activities in the field of medicine that produce significant, concrete results. Spain’s preeminence in the area of clinical studies highlights such opportunities.
