Drug development for major chronic health conditions—aligning with growing public health needs: Proceedings from a multistakeholder think tank

Abstract

The global pharmaceutical industry portfolio is skewed towards cancer and rare diseases due to more predictable development pathways and financial incentives. In contrast, drug development for major chronic health conditions that are responsible for a large part of mortality and disability worldwide is stalled. To examine the processes of novel drug development for common chronic health conditions, a multi-stakeholder Think Tank meeting, including thought leaders from academia, clinical practice, non-profit healthcare organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), payors as well as investors, was convened in July 2022. Herein, we summarize the proceedings of this meeting, including an overview of the current state of drug development for chronic health conditions and key barriers that were identified. Six major action items were formulated to accelerate drug development for chronic diseases, with a focus on improving the efficiency of clinical trials and rapid implementation of evidence into clinical practice: 1. Involve implementation science in the early phases of drug development 2. Involve regulatory agencies early in drug development, simplify clinical trial conduct and improve inter-agency collaboration 3.Involve payors early in drug development 4. Investigate novel implementation strategies 5. Increase focus on and funding for implementation science to develop strategies that improve utilization of proven effective treatments. 6. Change public perception.