Navitas Life Sciences Celebrates 15 Years of Nets
The Nets were founded as an independent community for life science leaders facing similar challenges to have a peer network to exchange insights, compare performance, and debate strategies. Each network has a focused and evolving agenda to meet the latest challenges facing their industry. Member companies send delegates to bi-annual meetings, engage in working group sessions, attend (and sometimes participate in) webinars and contribute company information in surveys that cumulate in a year-end report.
In 2001, the population of the world was 6.3 billion, the pharmaceutical industry spent $78.8 billion on R&D, YouTube was launched, the iPod touch was introduced and WCI Consulting, in partnership with 5 founding members, founded the Benchmark Club. The 5 founding members were global pharmaceutical companies, and formed an independent community for business leaders facing similar challenges. The founding five sent 12 forum participants to join in the networks inaugural meeting, laying the foundation for the Nets.
In 2004, the EMEA became the EMA, 3 new therapies for diabetes came on the market, and the Benchmark Club had grown to 11 member companies and was renamed pvnet®. pvnet was designed for Heads of Safety of the top 30 Life Sciences companies in the world. Its main agenda discussed the evolving pharmacovigilance function and planned for PV2010.
In 2006, the population of the world was 6.7 billion, 10.5% of physicians had access to electronic health records, the first Tweet was sent and pvconnect® was formed. Like its predecessor pvnet, pvconnect is a network for Heads of Safety of mid-sized Life Sciences companies with a range of product portfolios including one of more of Pharma, Biologicals, Consumer, and Medical Devices. The networks were growing, counting 30 life science companies as members, sending 51 forum participants to the bi-annual Nets meetings.
In 2010, 8,617 drugs were in the global R&D pipeline, 21 new NDAs/BLAs were approved and pvtech® was born. Tech is tailored for the Information Technology head of PV departments, founded on the principal of increasing business value through technology investments.
In 2011 the world population grew to 7.1 billion, the first Lupus drug in 50 years was launched, IBM Watson won Jeopardy and a network for labeling professionals that focused on the full lifecycle of labeling was in demand, so labelnet® was created. The Nets had 215 forum participants from 56 company members in attendance.
In 2013, more than 5,000 medicines were in development, Facebook reaches over 1 billion users, ABPI guidelines for social media were announced and cmonet® was founded. Chief Medical Officers need to address strategic and governance topics and cmonet provides the platform. CMOs have the opportunity to share insights, exchange ideas and offer peer support.
By 2014 there were 10,150 drugs in the global pipeline from over 3,286 companies, the global healthcare mergers and acquisitions deal valued over $406 billion, WEB-RADR was launched and the life science industry was relying on technology more than ever as healthcare began to go digital. To address the new challenges and to develop best practices and leading edge solutions for regulatory information management, rimnet® was born.
2016 saw globalization continuing, 59.6% of physicians accessing electronic medical records, the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the founding of pvindia®. A network for pharmacovigilance leaders of life sciences companies in the APAC region. pvindia is comprised of pharmaceutical, consumer, generics or mixed portfolio life science companies.
In 2017 the world population has grown to 7.5 billion, Harry Potter turned 20, Facebook users number 1.9 billion, and the Nets number 124 member companies, sending over 478 forum participants to the bi-annual meetings. Member companies had; 613 CCDS updates, the managed product portfolio was is over 6,500, over 720 risk plans in place and created over 6,400 aggregate reports. Numerous working groups meet regularly (RIM, IDMP, Labeling etc.) and the Nets will soon expand with the addition of a new clinical network.
What does the future hold for the world, the industry and the Nets? Healthcare could go from general to personal, with connected devices providing new, more accurate data. Smartphones could disappear, being implanted directly into human’s brain. The future is unclear, but technology will be a part, and the Nets will adapt and grow to face the challenges and opportunities that the future will bring.
