Is there anyway of re-activation medical research and bio-technology in Sweden?

Sunday, 27 May 2012
Some 10 years ago Sweden was one of the leading countries in the world in terms of bio-technology and medical research. This is why a company with world class credence such as AstraZeneca become part of Sweden’s innovation pride. But in the past few years, that power to continue in this lucrative line of development is waning and some people are getting more concerned.
In a write up in the Swedish daily, Dangens Nyehter, former Prime Minister, Ingvar Carlsson and others wrote that “Sweden is losing ground in medical research and now we need a long term strategy by the government,” to bring back that glory.
One of their proposals is that they want that over time, public investment in the sector doubled from six to twelve billion Krona in monetary terms should be realised.

Health care costs are increasing, while Sweden is losing ground in research and enterprise in the medical field and in the application of innovative therapies in health care. “We still have a chance to become a leader in developing and introducing solutions to these challenges, but there is no time to lose,” they write.

The Swedish health care system has bee accused of not using the innovative products to the same extent as other comparable countries, according to a British study which among 14 countries surveyed, Sweden took second to last place. This is also reflected in the Swedish public opinion where fewer than half believe that patients in Swedish hospitals have access to the safest and most effective treatments, according to a poll from conducted by pooling organisation, Novus commissioned by organisation, Research! Sweden.

Clinical research is losing ground in Sweden. We have slipped down from third to sixth place, and lags behind the U.S., the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada. The negative trend is serious because clinical research is the link between the laboratory and the patient and a prerequisite for method development and an effective improvement in the health care system. Sweden has also lost the position in biomedicine, where we have over 20 years gone from fourth to eighth place, according to the Research Council's review of research quality in clinical medicine among the top 25 countries in the mid 80's and mid 2000's.

Countries that surpassed Sweden as a knowledge nation in medicine has developed long term strategies and initiatives, in several cases with the highest political leadership in the lead. This is understandable, since investment in medical research is an economically sound business. A British study shows, for example, that such investments in the cardiovascular unit regained by a wider margin, thanks to increased GDP and reduced health costs. A new study by the Heart and Lung Foundation shows that the Swedish cardiac research has helped to delay or prevent more than 150,000 deaths in Sweden and thus brought about a significant financial gain.

High level of research is vital to the health and education quality, and a prerequisite for research-intensive companies to be active in Sweden. Sweden is the country in the world where the pharmaceutical industry accounts for the largest share of GDP. In 2010, net exports (exports minus imports of drugs) to nearly 37 billion, making it the second most important export industry in Sweden.

Now the medically oriented companies are going down and their businesses in Sweden wrapping up. Only within the research-based pharmaceutical industry, the numbers of employees have declined by 40 percent over the past six years, from 21000 - 12600 employees. Besides that Sweden will lose jobs when companies relocate, also reduced exports and tax revenues. In addition, it will lead to the deterioration of the overall knowledge base. AstraZeneca alone has accounted for Skr14 billion a year for investment in research and development in Sweden - more than research in all medical schools combined.

AstraZeneca's decision to shut down all research in Lund and Södertälje is a result of globalization, with more mobile companies and individuals, and the pharmaceuticals industry as a whole chooses to work with top researchers at universities and biotechnology companies around the world instead of having own large research departments. The decision is a serious blow to medical research and innovation in Sweden and strike that it is high time to take action to Sweden to live up to the government's goal: to become a leading research nation that can attract talented researchers and companies.

To achieve this goal, the government should develop an integrated approach to medical research and its application, the department limits on State Minister. Like the UK's approach, the strategy should be created in collaboration with partners in academia, healthcare and business. “We need to take several important steps to strengthen research and the processes of the results will lead to improved health and prosperity,” write the authors
By Scancomark.se Source: Dagens Nyheter

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