Making biologic drugs to treat cancer affordable | Jim Thomas | Nobel Conference

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07/04/23

Dr. James Thomas presenting at 56th annual Nobel Conference: Cancer in the Age of Biotechnology at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2020.

"Creating global access to biologic therapeutics for treating cancer and other serious diseases" - Lecture by James Thomas, PhD, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Biotherapeutics, President of U.S. Operations, Just-Evotec Biologics

Over the last 40 years, biologics have become some of the most effective treatments for a variety of diseases, offering hope for many patients who previously had no effective treatment option for their condition, especially cancer. However, the inherent complexity of the processes involved with the discovery, development, and manufacturing of these revolutionary therapeutics results in high costs to patients, often making them inaccessible to the majority of the world’s population.

Technologies that incorporate machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics (high throughput automation) in the discovery, design, and development of biologics are providing some powerful and needed solutions. In addition, as leading cancer therapeutics lose patent protection the application of these technological advances to the development and manufacture of "biosimilar" therapeutics to innovator drugs will improve access through lower cost and competition.

While significant progress is being made, global access to these life-changing and life-saving therapeutics will require a new generation of scientists, partnerships, and business models to bring into full reality.
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