Ideation and implementation of an open science drug discovery business model - M4K Pharma

Maxwell Robert Morgan; Owen Gwilym Roberts; Aled Morgan Edwards

doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14947.1

Ideation and implementation of an open science drug discovery business model - M4K Pharma

Wellcome Open Res. 2018 Dec 6:3:154. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14947.1. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Maxwell Robert Morgan^{1

2

3}, Owen Gwilym Roberts², Aled Morgan Edwards^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada.
² M4K Pharma, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada.
³ Structural Genomics Consortium, London, UK.

Abstract

M4K Pharma was incorporated to launch an open science drug discovery program that relies on regulatory exclusivity as its primary intellectual property and commercial asset, in lieu of patents.In many cases and in key markets, using regulatory exclusivity can provide equivalent commercial protection to patents, while also being compatible with open science. The model is proving attractive to government, foundation and individual funders, who collectively have different expectations for returns on investment compared with biotech, pharmaceutical companies, or venture capital investors.In the absence of these investor-driven requirements for returns, it should be possible to commercialize therapeutics at affordable prices.M4K is piloting this open science business model in a rare paediatric brain tumour, but there is no reason it should not be more widely applicable.

Keywords: Open science; open drug discovery; rare diseases; regulatory exclusivity.

Grants and funding

BMR grant number 212969; Paul Workman, Aled Edwards. The SGC is a registered charity (number 1097737) that receives funds from AbbVie, Bayer Pharma AG, CHDI, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Eshelman Institute for Innovation, Genome Canada, Innovative Medicines Initiative (EU/EFPIA) [ULTRA-DD grant no. 115766], Janssen, Merck KgA, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis Pharma AG, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, Pfizer, São Paulo Research Foundation-FAPESP, Takeda, and the Wellcome Trust. M4K Pharma has received funding from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and the Brain Tumour Charity and in-kind support from the Structural Genomics Consortium, Charles River Laboratories and Reaction Biology Corp.