Europe has just emerged from a crisis that has put its healthcare system to the test. The lack of autonomy in relation to research and development, the management of health data and weaknesses in the area of biotechnological production were also highlighted disclosed.
It is now more important than ever to connect companies, researchers, experts and healthcare professionals with each other in order to be able to help patients in the best possible way.
the healthtech sector, dedicated to the development of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and innovative digital tools, with its network of hundreds of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) forms a bridge between academic research and industry.
He has also proved to be an essential link in building an “independent, competitive and innovative” Europe in the health sector, which European Union health ministers decided to promote in a manifesto signed on March 3rd.
Europe must develop a strategy to become attractive to American and Asian competitors. It must promote its health technologies better.
Patient data must be protected, but also used
The EU Commission’s new regulation on the European framework for health data, which will soon be presented to the European Parliament, is a strong signal of the political will to use the necessary tools to protect patient data while enabling better exploitation.
First of all, the security of the personal data must be guaranteed. Then they must be harnessed for research through innovation, and in particular with the help of artificial intelligence and big data, which Europe is betting on so much.
In Germany alone there are around 50 biotechnology start-ups and SMEs that deal with the intelligent use of biomedical data, not to mention the larger corporations.
The industry is growing continuously. The aim is to achieve a critical mass of data and to fully exploit its potential for the benefit of patients.
Too many technologies developed in Germany are bought up by foreign companies
Europe undoubtedly has a large pool of scientific resources. This is fertile ground for startups in the health tech space. But they are hampered by a lack of funding for long-term development.
Too many technologies developed in Germany are bought up by foreign players – such as the company Ganymed from Mainz from the Japanese Astellas, MYR from the US Gilead or Rigontec from the US Merck (MSD).
To better serve patients, we need to accelerate several key initiatives. This includes the “EIC ScalingUp” initiative of the European Innovation Council. It aims to focus financial support on a small number of future tech champions rather than ineffectively scattering it.
It is also necessary to promote the creation of large cross-border biotech clusters. They must be independent of national governments and have a critical size and international visibility that enable them to attract private funding, industry partners and outstanding talent from around the world.
The “Paris-Saclay” cluster, the Walloon Biotech Valley and the “Berlin Health Cluster” are just some of the initiatives that need to be strengthened.
EU start-ups need better growth financing
Production capacities have been central in the fight against the pandemic, be it manufacturing masks, advanced medical devices, diagnostic tests or vaccines. Europe urgently needs the necessary industrial capacities that will enable us to cope with the risk of the pandemic.
But we have to go further. The advent of cell and gene therapies, which represent great hope for the treatment of numerous diseases, must be accompanied by massive industrial investments.
However, production capacities in the European Union are declining. Germany, long number two in global fermenter capacity for biopharmaceuticals, now finds itself in fifth place.
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The Council of European Bioregions, whose aim is to build a globally competitive European biotech sector, in a study on the challenges of bioproduction, recommends creating a network of start-ups and promoting their access to more financial instruments, especially for later growth – Funding rounds.
All links in the healthcare value chain – from researchers to funders to patients – must be brought together with a cross-border vision from the start.
Europe is able to industrialize the valuable legacy of decades of investment in scientific research. At the same time, it must ensure that the needs of the patients are addressed, because the focus is on health.
Other powerful countries, notably China, have just made health technologies a priority of their economic development. Europe’s economic ambitions in terms of biotech will be the pillar of an EU that can go beyond a common market and into a real project of civilization.
The authors: Oliver Schacht is CEO of the biotech association BIO Deutschland. Maryvonne Hiance is President of the HealthTech For Care endowment fund. Christian Pierret is a former French Minister of Industry.
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