What makes charities so key to drug development?

ANYONE who doubts whether the charity sector – without the same pressure to achieve profits on product sales that drugmakers face – can play a useful role in drug development, would be well-advised to look at the list of drugs that just two UK charities have played a major part in developing.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Actemra (tocilizumab), Tysabri (natalizumab), Entyvio (vedolizumab), Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) and Rubraca (rucaparib) are just some of the products that LifeArc – a charity formerly known as MRC Technology – and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) have helped to develop.

Their ability to fill in gaps and take on research that companies with commercial considerations and limitations cannot easily undertake, means that drugmakers from big pharma to smaller biotech players have cottoned on to the benefits of partnering with the likes of CRUK.