As someone who is passionate about biotech developments, I am especially interested in these 10 trends that have been growing and are expected to dominate industry news publications for the rest of 2019.
1. The opioid crisis may continue. In recent years, opioid painkillers have come under fire because addiction to them and abuse of them has led to about 70,000 deaths per year. While law enforcement and government agencies are trying to make tighter regulations as well as stricter penalties for illegal opioid dealers, the crisis continues. Many doctors will not prescribe them or will only prescribe them in dire situations. Despite these attempted shifts away from opioid medications, the FDA recently approved a new type of opioid that researchers said was 1,000 times more powerful than the popular painkiller morphine. On the grounds of the public still needing painkillers, the FDA maintains its defense of the new drug.
2. CRISPR research will continue. A researcher from China recently shared his research results on CRISPR genome editing. He used the technology to alter twin embryos. Their CCR5 genes were modified to make them more resilient to HIV. His research was condemned by several organizations and universities in the United States. This trend is not over, and the technology is still considered under development. There are plenty of other trials that are underway or will soon launch in the United States and in Europe. Most other trials use the CRISPR technology to treat adult diseases. In mice, researchers used the technology in a way that lab mice with a genetic tendency to gain weight could not become obese. However, they did not have to modify any genes to accomplish it.
3. Biotech companies will face more marketing challenges. There are many steps from the time of clinical trials to funding and getting a drug or treatment to market. It often takes about a decade for the entire process to unfold. As companies develop promising drugs, their stock prices usually rise. Investors anticipate good returns, and they are disappointed in many cases after drugs go to market. If the company does not make the expected profit on its therapeutic substance, investors lose hope while stock prices fall. Drug pricing and paying for getting drugs to market are two separate challenges, and profitability is one that must be factored in with those considerations. This means that companies must carefully manage expectations and maintain balance.
4. Developers must figure out how to pay for innovation. Using cutting-edge technologies and procuring certain substances are not cheap tasks. Paying for expenses is such a big concern that STAT listed it as a top 2019 biotechnology trend. The most critical part of releasing a helpful therapy is paying for expensive development costs. Gene therapies and certain cancer therapies such as immuno-oncology treatments have been proven as very effective. However, they come at a high cost. One example is the SMA gene therapy from Novartis. If it is approved, a single dose could cost up to $5 million. Experts say that Novartis has a heavy burden on its shoulders that could affect the industry positively or negatively depending on how much it chooses to charge. Also, the reactions of insurers and government organizations will affect whether SMA gene therapy and other types of gene therapies succeed once they go to market.
5. Politicians will heavily target drug prices and health care. The 2020 presidential candidates are already researching biotechnology trends and deciding on important issues to address in pharmaceuticals and health care. Drug prices and treatments are expected to be at the top of each candidate’s agenda, and some may have surprising ideas. For example, one potential candidate recently suggested contracting out the manufacture of generic drugs to make prices more affordable for consumers.
6. IPOs will continue to grow. Investors seem to be more optimistic about biotechnology companies this year, and experts suggest that the trend will continue. The year saw many successful initial public offerings, and some even broke records. More than $8 billion was raised for biotech IPOs, which was up almost $2 billion from 2014’s record total. Before that time, IPOs were still plentiful. However, they stagnated at the median, and the interest in biotech started to dissipate. Some exchanges require candidates to have a product to file for an IPO. Hong Kong’s exchange does not have this requirement, which makes it a popular option for biotech companies that do not have a physical product.
7. Alzheimer’s research will be more popular with a potential breakthrough. While 2018 was a slow year for Alzheimer’s research and drug development, the years leading up to it were not very promising either. Despite several major drug failures last year, 2019 looks brighter with more research underway. The failures were good lessons for biotech companies as they move forward and modify or develop new research plans. Biogen will be a name to watch, and other researchers will focus on treatment options in early stages of the disease. Experts will especially be interested to see if the lead compound in vTv Therapeutics trials will bring positive results with readouts set to be completed in 2019. Also, vaccines that could prevent Alzheimer’s are currently being tested. Although it will take some time to measure success on them, they add to the optimism for this growing biotechnology category this year.
8. Studying physiology with chips may evolve. People who follow biotech trends are all excited about the recent organs-on-chips developments. With a small microfluidic chip’s ability to store such a vast amount of information, it can provide valuable data about organ functions. Scientists are using these chips to study the behaviors, tissues and functions of organs outside of human bodies. They can combine actions and use special tests to see how the chips react. The chips have multiple channels and can simulate any activity of an organ. While there is a concern about isolation in testing, the technology is so useful that scientists are trying to expand it to apply to other physiological functions of the human body aside from organs. If they can successfully produce chips for other physiological functions, it could change how researchers study the evolution and reactions of various bodily systems. Their findings could have vast implications. For example, since inflammation has been tied to chronic illnesses in so many ways, the potential for studying neutrophils in inflammation could be especially remarkable. From sepsis prevention technology to cancer development research benefits, such knowledge could lead to multiple innovations.
9. Realistic miniature plants could influence investors. A pilot plant is a smaller version of a factory that is important for companies that deal with chemicals. For biotechnology companies that manufacture, research and develop drugs, the cost of operating a new plant often runs into the high millions or even into the billions. With the same microfluidic technology that is used for the organs-on-chips technology, researchers can build accurate but smaller models of entire factories in great detail. They can use whole-cell biocatalysts, extraction systems and other important technologies to yield accurate production results without the need for massive financial investments. With 3D printing being more accessible now, they can even create systems with special culture chambers, flow paths and more.
10. There will be new production hosts. In the past, scientists relied on E. coli, CHO cells, S. cerevisiae and other common production strains for testing therapeutic substances. However, researchers are starting to turn away from these staples and are looking to other organisms for special functions. Cyanobacteria and microalgae are two examples of those. They discovered that a type of red yeast produces carotenoids and another type produces fatty acid compounds. These developments are especially significant in relation to genome editing technologies and can be considered with them in strategic planning. Experts predict that bioproduction and metabolic engineering will yield even more specialized production hosts either this year or in the near future.
There are other exciting trends that are emerging in specific parts of health care as well. Some developments are geared toward benefits for smaller groups of people. However, these trends have the ability to affect large groups of people on a global scale, and those are the kinds of historic innovations that every company hopes to successfully develop.
