Pharma Task Force

The second report of the Pharma Task Force, which was presented on 22 August 2005, identified the fields of clinical trials and biotechnology as important fields of action for enhancing the innovativeness of the German pharmaceuticals industry. The BMBF's research funding is already aiming in the direction recommended by the Task Force.

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The "Task Force on Improving Location Conditions and Innovation Opportunities for the Pharmaceutical Industry in Germany" was set up in 2003 under the chairmanship of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security in order to point out shortcomings and elaborate concrete measures to remedy these shortcomings.

The aim of the Pharma Task Force is inter alia to name conditions which are obstructing innovations and to draw up proposals for solving these problems.

The Task Force presented its first "Report and Plan of Action" at the Office of the Federal Chancellor in June 2004. This contained recommendations on short, medium and long-term measures.

The second "Report and Plan of Action", presented on 22 August 2005, reports on the status of the implementation of the recommendations. In addition, its contains two further themes which are particularly relevant for the development of the pharmaceutical industry: clinical trials and biotechnology. The BMBF is devoting particular attention to both these research areas under its Health Research Programme and Biotechnology Programme.  

Clinical trials

Clinical trials are a central instrument of clinical research in all fields of prevention, diagnostics and therapy. They are an essential part of the innovation chain from basic research to application in patient care, and are thus crucial for the transfer of research findings to health care.

The research landscape for non-commercial clinical trials in Germany is not yet developed as well as it could be. The Task Force's report illustrates the problems and suggests possible solutions.

The BMBF consistently supports measures to improve the research landscape in the field of clinical trials.
In order to improve the quality of clinical trials, funding totalling approximately 35 million euro has been provided in a first step since 1999 for the establishment of twelve Coordination Centres for clinical trials. The Coordination Centres make methodical know-how in the faculties available for the performance of clinical trials and disseminate this know-how in courses and lectures.

Under a further funding measure introduced in 2007, funding totalling approximately 48 million euro over a six year period is being provided to support the establishment of Clinical Trial Centres at six medical faculties. Targeted support is thus being provided in particular to research-oriented clinicians for the planning and implementation of clinical trials.

The most competent players in the fields of research and patient care cooperate in the "Competence Networks for Medicine" on application-oriented research projects on specific clinical syndromes. Seventeen such networks have already received funding totalling 225 million euro.
In 2003, the BMBF and the German Research Association (DFG) launched a joint funding measure specially for clinical trials in order to promote non-specific, science based, non-commercial trials. Since 2004, scientists in all medical disciplines may apply to conduct multi-centric clinical trials. Funding totalling 20 million euro per year is being made available for this measures.

Further information on the "Clinical Trials" is available at http://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/en/161.php.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is one of the most important fields of innovation from the economic point of view. It has a considerable influence on the range of therapies and on production methods in large branches of industry, such as medicine, pharmacy, the chemical industry, the food industry as well as environmental and energy technology. Biotechnology is developing increasingly to become a technology initiator in the fields of medicine and pharmacy. It is thus one of the technologies of the future on which great hopes are being pinned throughout the world with regard to the development of therapies and economic growth. Germany is on its way to catching up with the world leaders, both economically and in the field of research.

The recommendations of the Task Force on Promoting Biotechnology are thus in line with the BMBF's funding policy. A large number of the recommendations have already been implemented or concrete measures for their implementation are planned. These include in particular the ExistGo-Bio funding measure, which was launched in mid-August, as well as the BioChance and BioChancePlus, BioRegio and Bioprofile, and Tissue Engineering measures.

• Coordination Centres for Clinical Trials,
• Competence Networks in Medicine,
• Clinical trials,
• Cell-based Regenerative Medicine,
• hreflang=en>BioChance and BioChancePlus,
• BioRegio and BioProfile,

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