Seattle Genetics Case Study

For many types of cancers, we have been using the same base drug (first line treatment) for ten years or even longer. As companies find new drugs to fight the cancers, they hope that it will be the miracle drug that will eradicate the cancer, but it usually isn’t. When they reach this conclusion, instead of returning to the chalkboard and continuing to work to improve the drug, they put the drug on the market as is, and hope it will achieve something. Not only are they putting these drugs on the market but they put price tags on them that would bankrupt anyone without some sort of third party payer. The combination of all of these drugs make up what doctors

Cancer is figured to be the second leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. With approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012, alone .Why are so many people stuck suffering with this deadly disease? Millions of dollars have been invested into cancer research, yet there is no cure. Are these pharmaceutical companies focus on finding a cure for cancer or concentrating on elongated treatments in order to lengthen their pockets? We must first understand that cancer is big business earning huge profits. Nonetheless, the cancer industry is spending virtually zilch of its multi-billion dollar resources on effective prevention strategies, like dietary guidelines, exercise, natural remedies and herbs proven to cure cancer. Instead, it pours its money into treating cancer, not preventing or allaying it.

The CEO and Co-founder of Seattle Genetics, Dr. Clay Siegall, recently sat down for an interview with Inspirey. Seattle Genetics is a biotech firm whose specialty is developing drugs to help combat fatal diseases like cancer where there has not been significant drug improvement for decades. Dr. Siegall who holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from George Washington University and a B.S. Degree in Zoology from the University of Maryland stated in his interview with Inspirey that he has always had an interested in medicine and the use of technology. This interest led him to fulfill a desire of becoming his own boss, by taking control of his own patents, products, and developments.

Nusrat Epsi, MBA is a PhD student working at the Rutgers University, School of Healthcare Professional with Dr. Antonina Mitrafanova. Prior to beginning the PhD program, Nusrat worked in the Pharmaceutical Industry. She consulted on a variety of projects which involved both qualitative and quantitative analysis to achieve strategic realignments within large pharmaceutical systems. From this work she developed an interest in drug discovery and drug structure. She is currently working on designing possible targeted cancer therapy to interfere with specific AR genes for tumor growth and progression. She also had a primary interest in the invasion of bladder cancer. She is also interested studying other Hormonal carcinogenesis. For her doctoral

This weeks discussion seems to be disheartening with respect to our legal system and allowing patents such as these to even be allowed. Like you said, everyone that wants to do research to find a cure for breast or colon cancer should be allowed. Do you think that Myriad Genetics just wants recognition for the discovery, if it happens, or is it all about money? I feel it is all about money. A man had his cancerous spleen removed at the University of California. In turn the University removed the cells from his spleen and found that they could be used to produce valuable proteins. They got a patent on these cells. The man then wanted his cells returned and the California Supreme Court denied him rights and royalties to his cells because

We anticipate potential competitions from organizations or other newly established companies developing new targeted therapies. We expect to compete with

The illness of cancer is no more than big business and a way to create a consistent and large cash flow to those behind the chemical and pharmaceutical industries around the world. The accepted protocol of treating cancer presently does not rid the victim of the disease, but instead weakens them to the point where they cannot recover due to the weakening of their natural internal healing systems. Furthermore, a number of patents that are told they have a cancer in fact do not have cancer at all. This is the unconscionable activity happening to countless people who seek help for ailments, but are lied to and told they have cancer when they don't.

Excellent discussion especially you mentioned about “the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) published its policy statement on professional disclosure of familial genetic information”. I agree with you. There is no breach of confidentiality when the life of someone is at risk. There are cases Law about it in California, Florida, and other states in United States. I just quote these cases as an example; however, there are three specific situations when the healthcare provider has a legal duty to intervene and warn a person at risk.

Research and development teams will have to identify what is important to the stakeholders and develop products that have value for the stakeholders. If the company does not have the resources or capabilities to develop the products that stakeholders value, acquisitions must be made. Companies will need strong marketing and sales departments that will be able to develop messages that are targeted at all of the stakeholders, not just patients and physicians. The marketing and sales department must develop strategic messages that contain strong economic and clinical value messages instead of feature and benefits messages that are currently used. Since biopharmaceutical companies tend to use product differentiation as strategy to offer unique value, instead of cost, it might be necessary for them to develop partnerships with companies that provide patient support and resources to add value to their

Cancer is very complex and different throughout every person. Throughout the years there has been advancements in science and technology toward a more personalized approach, trying to understand the causes and treatments best for each patient’s cancer. Through the launch of Precision Medicine Initiative researchers, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and more will come together in the efforts of introducing personalized medicine.

Scientists from George Washington University medical center have found a missing link in mitosis that brings hope for cancer researchers. They have found a protein known as Arpc 1b that is an activator for an enzyme called Aurora A that is important in early stages of cellular reproduction. Cells divide and separate poles to create new cells. If all goes well two new cells are produced, but in some cases the protein is over used, and abnormal cells are produced which lead to cancer. Pharmaceutical industries are targeting Aurora A and trying to prevent it. This is the next step to help scientists find a way to stop the activity of Arpc in cancer cells. As an example, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. They are among the worlds leading biotech companies, with multiple products on the market and a promising development pipeline. At Genentech, James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D. who is the Vice President, said, “If we understand basic science, our drugs make it to market. If we don’t, the company dies.” Roche, Genentech’s parent company, spends more on research and development than any country in the world ($9.5 billion annually). Understanding cell development and cell division help the

When Eric Lefkofsky, co-founder and CEO of Tempus, noticed that oncologists needed a database that combined the genomic information already available to them with therapeutic data, he had an idea for a new startup. Most people who have never had cancer, or who never had a close friend or family member diagnosed with cancer, assume that doctors have access to data about how effective a treatment is on a specific group of people, but they did not when Lefkofsky decided to establish Tempus. His goal is to provide doctors with the information that they need to make data-driven decisions when selecting the optimal treatment for their patients.

Spending $3 billion a year on research, Merck enjoyed a decade long span of unveiling new drugs on a regular basis (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). This was a major contributing factor to Merck’s ranking as the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). In the 1980’s, 80% of the drug companies’ growth was attributed to drugs that addressed chronic, nonfatal conditions that affected a large population (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). These drugs, often referred to as blockbuster drugs, were usually taken by patients with health insurance which insured healthy sales and profits for the drug companies (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). Merck was in stiff competition with other drug manufacturers to create the next big blockbuster drug that would drive up profits. Coupled with that pressure was the amount of time involved in

We’ve all heard about the elusive cure for cancer. But cancer in itself isn’t just one specific disease:

Unlike Gilead that has only one product in its Oncology line, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently have four different drugs namely: Erbitux –an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antagonist for the treatment of Head & Neck cancer and Colorectal cancer,(2) Opdivo (nivolumab) for the treatment of unresectable or metastic melanoma and lungs cancer, (3) Syrcel( dasatinb) for the treatment of newly diagnosed adult with Philadelphia chromosome –positive (ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia and (4) Yervoy (ipilimumob) for the treatment of melanoma a type of skin cancer that spread and as such cannot be remove by surgery. Like Seattle Genetics, the company products use either Antibody-drug Conjugate (ADC) though in a different version by linking potent cytotoxic to monoclonal antibodies targeted to specific tumor cells or immune-oncology, an innovative technology that unlocks the body own immune system to fight against cancerous cells. It also expanded its focus to Nolch inhibitor (used in blocking powerful pathway that promotes tumor cell survival for certain other types of cancer. (Bristol-Myer Squibb, 2014) Because the technology is similar but used differently, BMS would be considered a close competitor who currently has the advantage of having four targeted specific drugs and 12 other oncology and immune-oncology in various trial phases.