Business


works with many CROs on a fee-for-service or full-time equivalency basis. In early 2017, Nimbus and one of those CROs, Charles River, launched a multi-year strategic partnership to test an innova- tive new model for an alliance.


Nimbus and Charles River operate in an inte- grated, cross-company, fully-accountable team and work together to advance selected new pro- grammes from discovery to investigational new drug submission (IND). In this model, Charles River contributes resources and collaborates close- ly during all phases of scientific effort to advance the programme, rather than following the more typical CRO fee-for-service model, where a CRO is paid for specific services or deliverables. As part of this unique alliance model, Charles River is eligible to receive potential milestone payments from Nimbus for certain undisclosed programme advancements.


An alliance like this is possible because Nimbus and Charles River have a long-standing successful track record of working together under the fee- for-service model, and Charles River has the diverse expertise and wide range of services to partner from discovery to IND. The hallmark of this model is the opportunity to combine the strengths of the two companies while preserving the diversity of their scientific perspectives. Additionally, because this is an alliance instead of a fee-for-service relationship, both companies share the risks and rewards. The operational ben- efits to Nimbus include time savings, reduced costs and a streamlined workflow from working with one CRO rather than engaging and manag- ing dozens of different vendors. In addition, the arrangement gives Nimbus the opportunity to rapidly scale its operation and pipeline. Charles River benefits from the opportunity to develop further drug discovery and development expertise as it expands its business model to become a more integrated drug development organisation. It also gives the CRO the opportunity to make the best possible use of its significant and growing drug discovery expertise and pool of drug hunters. Patients can be expected to benefit as well from more efficient, faster and more cost-effective drug discovery and development.


Improving partner selection and optimising execution are fundamental keys to successful emerging alliance models


All successful development efforts require validat- ing the science on which the effort is based. For emerging alliance models to be successful, not only


Drug Discovery World Winter 2017/18


must the science be strong but the members of the alliance must select the right partners and then mature their collaboration, ensuring that everyone on the project team is fully engaged and project- focused, and that incentives are aligned. The effort of scouting for the right alliance partners can be challenging; but being persistent, insistent and not settling for a suboptimal partner organisation is critical to success.


There is also an art to go with the science of building a successful alliance. Success requires get- ting ego out of the way and achieving compatibility among partners. This is essential for creating bi- directional and trusting relationships that tap into the full range of knowledge and skills in the alliance. It is also essential that all partners invest in the relationship during, before and after it is established, examining and re-examining proce- dures and processes (and simplifying overly com- plex internal systems), bolstering bi-directional communication channels and effectively managing expectations.


Innovative alliances can shift the drug discovery paradigm Today, the costs of bringing new drugs to the mar- ket has risen, while the success rate for new drug development remains the same in the pharmaceuti- cal industry. With this grim reality, what is the solution when both costs and expectations are at an all-time high? Many companies have found their solution to this problem by expanding their collaborative network and forming alliances. Through alliance and partnerships with other com- panies, academics, venture capitalists and other entities in the drug discovery ecosystem, the risk involved in drug development is spread out and diminished, while the reward for successful drug candidates can be shared to all players’ satisfac- tion. With the cost of drug development so high, and with such a small margin of success, the bene- fits of risk-sharing and flexibility far outweigh the drawbacks of sharing credit with partners and stakeholders.


Innovative alliances can prove useful for eliminat- ing inefficiency, responding quickly to break- throughs, overcoming scientific, regulatory and business hurdles through co-operation and thereby expediting the delivery of therapy to patients. Innovative alliances can also bring together tradi- tional players in new relationships that more fully leverage the strength and diversity of each organisa- tion, and magnify the value for each company and the patients they hope to serve. It is a matter of rational as well as emotional consideration: the


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