Milan, 25 November (Adnkronos Health) – Determine industrial and scientific policies capable of strengthening competitiveness in life sciences. This is a challenge that Italy must face in an international scenario characterized by geopolitical instability, macroeconomic pressures, increasing demand and difficulties in accessing health services. A hot topic was highlighted at an event, promoted today by Sanofi in Rome, bringing together institutional, political voices from the scientific community and the third sector.
Among others: French Ambassador to Italy Martin Briens, Mimit Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Division Director Claudia Biffoli, Giuseppe Curigliano, president-elect of Esmo (European Society for Medical Oncology) and professor of medical oncology at the State University of Milan; Alberto Mantovani, president of the Humanitas Foundation for research and professor emeritus of Humanitas University; Council of Health Excellence president Alberto Siracusano; Telethon Foundation Director Ilaria Villa; vice-chancellor of the University of Naples Federico II Angela Zampella, president of the Board of Trustees of the National Center for the development of gene therapy and drugs with RNA technology; director of scientific research for Aism (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association) and its Fism Foundation, Paola Zaratin; and Giovanni Tria, president of Enea Tech and Biomedical Foundation.
The initiative is part of a “pivotal moment for the sector”, its proponents explain, “where biomedical research, precision medicine, next-generation immunology and artificial intelligence are profoundly changing medicine pathways and production chains”. For Italy, a leading European country in pharmaceutical exports and a “center of excellence” in clinical research, this transformation represents a “strategic opportunity” that can be exploited through a long-term vision. For Tria, we have “a great opportunity: to transform the enormous potential of life sciences into a true national strategic asset. Experimenting with new forms of public-private collaboration leads in this direction: leveraging the scientific and clinical excellence that already exists in the country and integrating it with industrial, technological and productive capacities. Investing in biomedical infrastructure and state-of-the-art innovation centers allows us to generate an attractive ecosystem, capable of retaining talent, attracting international investment and developing high value-added supply chains. A strong life sciences sector means the ability to responding more quickly to health emergencies, greater security in the supply of essential products and a more active role in European technological sovereignty initiatives.”
The debate is based on data from Sanofi’s 2024 Impact Report, which provides a snapshot of the value that innovation can bring to the country. The company is investing 45.2 million euros by 2024 in Research and Development in Italy, generating overall benefits of 133 million euros for the NHS and the country in terms of avoided costs, according to a note. The leverage effect is equal to 2.95: every euro invested in research in Italy generates almost 3 euros in savings for society with reduced hospitalizations, more appropriate use of clinical pathways and the availability of innovative therapies. In addition, the research supported by Sanofi is one of the most extensive in Italy – as we read – with 108 clinical studies carried out in the last year, involving 1,517 patients spread across 563 hospital and university clinical centers, and collaborating with more than 90 health facilities throughout the national territory.
Research, observes Marcello Cattani, president and CEO of Sanofi Italy and Malta, “is what allows us to turn scientific knowledge into real solutions for millions of people every day. Italy has a unique strength, represented by an excellent clinical network and researchers capable of leading complex, multidisciplinary and highly innovative research. The results we observed – from the impact on the quality of life of patients to the reduction of costs for the healthcare system – show that, when public research and industrial research work in synergy, innovation will accelerate and become of real value. The ambition is to become a leading biopharmaceutical company in the field of immunology by 2030 by investing, with investments of more than 45 million euros per year in Italy, in increasingly advanced research, which also thanks to the massive use of AI, integrates immunology, genomics and new digital technologies Broadening the outlook, around 70 million euros have been invested in Italy in three main drivers of innovation: research and development, technological transformation of the industry, skills and training of the science ecosystem in line with our country’s ambitions and to stimulate a European industrial policy that places the pharmaceutical sector at the center of growth”.
In addition to scientific production, Sanofi research produces “direct impacts on health” and, in particular, by 2024 there are three areas that are the subject of special economic analysis in the report: national immunization campaigns against respiratory viruses in newborns, inflammatory diseases type 2, and cardiovascular diseases. The benefits to the NHS: costs of 29.5 million euros were avoided thanks to Rsv immunoprophylaxis, 20.8 million euros came from type 2 inflammatory solutions, and 34 million euros related to Pcsk9 inhibitors in cardiovascular prevention. In terms of innovation, the note continued, Sanofi “is leading a structural transformation of its pipeline”, which currently consists of 93 projects in the clinical phase, of which 36 are in advanced stages or have been submitted to regulatory authorities, further supported by the use of Ai technology applied to study design, clinical data management, and the creation of new therapeutic targets.
Italy plays a “central role” in this pathway: the research carried out so far relates to key areas such as immunology, transplantation, neurology, rare diseases, diabetes, vaccines and hematology, and also includes 12 innovative molecules, including several ‘pipelines in a product’ that have the potential to generate more than 40 new therapeutic indications by 2031. 76% of the company’s research concerns solutions based on immunological mechanisms of action, while investment in type 2 inflammatory disease research grows by 19% in 2024 just.
A commitment to contribute to what Mantovani calls an “immunological revolution” over the years and no longer look at diseases as isolated categories, but rather at the biological immune pathways that underlie many chronic and inflammatory conditions. The theme the super expert focused on in his master’s lecture, in which he explored how understanding immune mechanisms is currently the basis for major therapeutic and preventive innovations. The message that ultimately emerges from the events of Rome? Italy – the experts conclude – can take a leadership role in life sciences, but this requires a shared national vision, an ecosystem that provides governance that integrates public and private research and investment capable of realizing real solutions for society.
