Partnerships

Industry Partnerships
Though in some ways they are competitors, there is a growing cooperation between the large pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical device firms. Why would Big Pharma, with its massive market share, and a smaller firm looking to break into the market work together? Well, Big Pharma has the infrastructure in place to bring manufacturing online quickly and has already established footholds in the marketplace. Biotech firms don't have the size or resources to match those kinds of established assets but they are smaller and may have less institutional baggage than an older, established firm. That can translate into a more flexible outlook and a more agile R&D effort.
 
Sometimes apparent rivalries can lead to win-win situations. The new product might enhance something already being sold by Big Pharma, or the potential success of the new biotech product might be so great, and sales predicted to be so high, that a manufacturing deal might be extremely lucrative. It's a delicate balance between independence and survival.

Industry - Academia Partnerships
In addition to inter-industry cooperation, there is a great deal of cooperation and partnership between industry and academia. Many universities have robust research centers where much of the initial discovery process is done. When a promising compound is found or developed, it can be licensed to an industry player. Academia brings to the table valuable insights into the fundamentals of human disease, and industry provides the knowledge and tools to take these findings and turn them into practical applications for the benefit of patients and the medical community. Where academia provides expertise in patient care and clinical judgment, industry provides knowledge in clinical-trial design, data analysis, and regulatory affairs. The healthcare industry is one of the leading sources of funding for academic research, and in return for that funding industry gains insight into its products from the experts and pioneers of academia. This synergy can often result in exciting prospects for new treatments and improvements on existing ones.
 
But it has also been a matter of growing concern in the past few years. The ties between industry and academia have become, in the opinion of some, too close and too tied to economics. The question of integrity and potential misconduct has arisen in some cases and IRB committee members have been skeptical of the academic researcher having financial ties or interests in the company petitioning on behalf of a new product. These questions are being examined by the FDA, the industry, and academia with revised guidelines and procedures being set out to clarify positions and prevent conflict of interest from undermining the potentially life-saving solutions all are working towards.