Denmark has the innovation and the opportunities – now the research must reach patients
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Denmark has a strong life sciences sector. But even the best research only creates value when companies turn it into treatments and medicines that reach patients. To do that, they need to consider development, manufacturing and regulatory requirements together at an earlier stage.
Denmark and the wider Nordic region have strong research environments, biotech companies, global pharmaceutical businesses and investors. Investments by Scaleup Fond Europe reflect an ambition to create more global life sciences success stories.
Yet many companies face their greatest challenge in the transition from development to market. They must do more than demonstrate that a treatment works. They also need to manufacture it reliably, meet regulatory requirements and deliver the necessary quality and volume in a commercially viable way.
For many companies, questions about manufacturing and scaling arise too late in the development process. Yet the answers can determine whether a promising product reaches the market.”
A clear overview determines what can scale up
Development, manufacturing, supply chains, quality and regulatory requirements often sit in different parts of an organisation. At the same time, companies work on multiple technologies, platforms and development projects.
“Companies are doing a lot of good work, but often in separate pockets of the organisation. Without having an overview across the business, it becomes difficult to judge which initiatives to prioritise and scale,” says Cilla Dyrmose, life sciences partner at PA Consulting.
Choices about manufacturing platforms, capacity and partners become even more important with biologic medicines, cell therapies and other advanced treatments. These decisions can have consequences for many years and prove costly and time-consuming to change.
Make the critical decisions earlier
Companies should therefore connect their commercial ambitions with decisions about manufacturing, quality, data and regulatory requirements earlier. Treating these areas as an integrated part of development reduces the risk of costly and time-consuming changes later.
“A company needs to establish early on whether it can manufacture the product, how best to do so, and whether to build its own capacity, work with an external partner or combine the two. These are strategic choices that are difficult to change later,” says Andreas Møller.
This does not necessarily mean investing more. It means choosing the platforms and technologies with the greatest potential and creating the conditions to take them from development to market.
Denmark is well placed to do this. Its research, advanced manufacturing, digital capabilities and close collaboration between companies, investors and public institutions provide a strong foundation.
We have the skills and resources. The opportunity lies in connecting them more effectively, so that we do more than develop ideas: we turn them into manufactured products and new medicines.”
The next life sciences successes will come from companies that choose the right initiatives early and ensure promising innovations reach patients.
Read the article in Børsen in Danish here.
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