The Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Association (AİFD) has joined forces with academicians who play an important role in strengthening scientific approaches in the pharmaceutical sector. The first annual Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Association (AİFD) Academy 1 aims to strengthen the dialogue between universities and the sector in order to help increase scientific competition in our country.

The Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Association (AİFD) organized the “AİFD Academy 1” meeting on June 8 – 9, 2007 in Ankara in order to provide support to the development of scientific approaches in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector and to inform academicians at universities pertaining to fundamental issues on the agenda of the pharmaceutical sector. At the end of the meeting, a final declaration was issued.

Topics entitled “Innovation in Health Sciences, Intellectual Property Rights –Data Protection, Healthcare Economy and Policies, Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Bioequivalence” were discussed during the panels organized at the “AİFD Academy 1” meeting. A total of 12 speakers participated in the meeting. In his opening speech, Secretary General of the Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Association (AİFD) Engin Güner listed what needs to be accomplished for the Turkish pharmaceutical sector to reach its goals. He indicated that, as of the end of 2006, the pharmaceutical market grew at a rate of approximately 10% in American dollars and reached a size of US$ 9.9 billion in consumer prices. However, Mr. Güner emphasized that in order for the pharmaceutical sector in Turkey to achieve growth and reach international standards, certain steps must be taken and inadequacies in certain fundamental areas must be promptly remedied and added, “bona fide protection of intellectual property rights, investment in R&D and innovation and achieving growth are among the most important issues”.

Mr. Güner continued, “Investment in R&D and innovation studies is another high-priority issue facing our sector today. The global pharmaceutical sector allocates hefty budgets, large resources to R&D studies. In our country, resources in this area are insufficient. In an era where biotechnology opens new horizons for the production of innovative and more effective drugs, the Turkish pharmaceutical sector does not even have a noteworthy R&D capacity. In the upcoming term, research-based pharmaceutical companies will invest more than US$ 60 billion on a global scale in order to develop new drugs. Even a very small share that our country garners from the global research budget would be able to change the course of sectorial growth. A 1% share garnered from this budget may be able to secure an investment of more than US$ 600 million in Turkey. As the Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Association, encompassing 36 research-based pharmaceutical companies, our goal is to develop and strengthen the base for scientific studies and clinical research in Turkey. Through the “AİFD Academy 1” meeting, we aim to get together with universities and our esteemed academicians in order to evaluate issues that are important for our sector and to determine important approaches that will enable our country to attract more R&D studies from now on.”