诺华CEO：我们要重新定义拳头产品

    公司考虑到这样一个事实，即最成功的研发起初并不是直接针对盈利前景最好的医疗问题。基础研究通常会经历种种波折。盘尼西林便是最有名的例子，它的发现完全是一个意外之喜。诺华公司新策略的目的就是找到这种意外的惊喜。公司并不是把患者群体庞大的疾病作为目标，而是将药品开发途径或导致疾病的不同生物机制作为重点。

    这种方法已经取得了一定的成功。例如，公司针对一系列疾病研发的药物依维莫司（Afinitor）最初被批准用于肾癌治疗。但研究证明，这种药物对于治疗肺癌与乳腺癌同样有效。将依维莫司作为治疗乳腺癌的药物，它的销量达不到10亿美元，而作为治疗肾癌或肺癌的药物，它的销量同样达不到10亿美元。但如果将三者综合起来，依维莫司便可以成为诺华公司新的拳头产品。

    当然这种方法有利有弊。晨星公司（Morningstar）二月份的分析师报告显示，诺华公司具备长期良性发展的条件。但投资者必须理解，这种增长需要时间。传统的寻找拳头产品的策略虽然不能持久，但却能迅速产生利润。而诺华公司致力于针对患者人群较小的药物，走了一条截然不同的道路。

    投资者往往都缺乏耐心。例如，2009年，诺华研发的药物Ilaris获批用于冷吡啉相关周期性综合症（CAPS）的治疗。CAPS是一种罕见的、可能致命的自体发炎性疾病，可能导致发热、发冷、骨畸形和失明。“公司许多人都说：‘你们为什么生产这样一款药物？全球只有6,000人患有这种疾病；CAPS太罕见了。’”没有其他任何一家公司在生产治疗这种疾病的药物。

    而诺华公司的观点是，在CAPS治疗中的突破可以为由相同机制引发的其他疾病的治疗提供思路。

    通过这种策略，诺华公司不再将赌注压在寻找下一个巨大的突破上，例如其他竞争对手正在关注的阿尔茨海默病（俗称老年痴呆症）药物。

    公司的计划有非常明显的优势。比如，诺华公司生产治疗罕见疾病的药物，通过药物在不同疾病中的疗效，最终可能成为公司的拳头产品。即使药物无法取得庞大的销量，但仍可以为公司打开新的市场。

    暂且抛开商业角度不谈，这种策略的一个巨大优势在于，它意味着诺华公司将为有需要的患者生产药物，这才是医药公司行之有效的商业策略，尽管整个医药行业正在偏离这一轨道。

    毕竟，生产药品才是制药公司的本分。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    It takes into account the fact that, in general, effective research and development doesn't come from targeting the most profitable problems. Basic research often takes many twists and turns. The discovery of Penicillin, famously, was a happy accident. Novartis (NVS) has a new strategy to try to generate that kind of serendipity. Instead of targeting a disease with a massive patient population, the company is instead targeting pathways, or the distinct biological mechanisms that cause a disease.

    The company has seen some success with this method. It developed its drug Afinitor, for example, for with the idea to target a cluster of diseases. Afinitor was first approved to treat kidney cancer. But research demonstrated that it also works in patients with some lung and breast cancers. Sales of Afinitor for breast cancer do not add up to $1 billion, neither do sales of Afinitor as a kidney cancer or lung cancer treatment. But looking at the sales numbers combined, it makes a blockbuster.

    There are pros and cons to this method. According to a February analyst report from Morningstar, Novartis is well positioned for good long-term growth. But investors need to understand that this kind of growth can take time. The old blockbuster-finding strategy hasn't been sustainable, but it's been profitable immediately. Novartis is taking a different route through drugs that treat smaller patient populations.

    Investors aren't always willing to be patient. For example, in 2009, Novartis received approval for Ilaris, a drug that treats CAPS, a class of rare, potentially fatal autoinflammatory diseases that can cause fevers and chills, bone deformities, and loss of vision. "Many of our people said, 'Why are you designing a drug for only 6,000 people in the world; CAPS is so rare?'" No one else was making drugs to treat the disease.

    But the idea is that cracking the code to treat CAPS will lead the way to treatment of other diseases caused by the same mechanism.

    Using this strategy, Novartis will not bet the farm on finding the next massive breakthrough, such as an Alzheimer's drug, which is a tack its competitors have taken.

    But there are clear pros to the company's plan. For one, Novartis will make treatments for rare diseases that could ultimately blossom into blockbusters by virtue of their application to multiple maladies. Even the drugs that don't materialize into great sales numbers will get the company into a new market.

    And to chuck the business angle for a moment, the big-picture pro of this strategy is that it means Novartis will be making medicine for people who need it, despite the industry straying from that somewhat as an effective business strategy.

    Making drugs, after all, is what drug companies are supposed to do.