The Current Status of Drug Discovery and Development as Originated in United States Academia: The Influence of Industrial and Academic Collaboration on Drug Discovery and Development

Abstract

Academic drug discovery is a vital component to current drug discovery and development environments. In this study, we investigated 798 drug discovery projects that took place between 1991 and 2015 at 36 academic institutions in the United States. The observed success rates of academic drug discovery and development were 75% at phase I, 50% at phase II, 59% at phase III, and 88% at the new drug application/biologics license application (NDA/BLA) phase. These results were similar to the corresponding success rates of the pharmaceutical industry. Collaboration between academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry seemed more important at later stages than earlier ones; all projects that succeeded at phase III or the NDA/BLA stage involved academic-industrial collaboration. Many academic research projects involved neoplasms and infectious diseases, and were focused on small molecules and biologics. The success rates and possible effects of academic-industrial collaboration seemed to vary depending on disease domains and drug modalities.

Figure 1

Phase success and likelihood of approvals (LOA) rates of academic drug discovery and development that was begun between 1991 and 2010. NDA/BLA, new drug application/biologics license application.

Figure 2

The impact of academic‐industrial collaboration on academic drug discovery and development projects that were begun between 1991 and 2010. NDA/BLA, new drug application/biologics license application; NR, not reportable.

Figure 3

The classifications of academic drug discovery projects that were begun between 1991 and 2010 by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision.

Figure 4

The differences in success and collaboration rates for academic drug discovery and development projects that were begun between 1991 and 2010, presented by disease areas. NDA/BLA, new drug application/biologics license application.

Figure 5

The current status of modalities in academic drug discovery and development projects that were begun between 1991 and 2010. (a) Proportion of modalities in academic drug discovery (N = 798) (b) Proportion of modality by disease area in academic drug discovery.

Figure 6

Success and collaboration rates by modality in academic drug discovery and development projects. NDA/BLA, new drug application/biologics license application.