The journey of developing new medicines brings together different organisations and people who are driven by the desire to make a real impact on people's lives. AbbVie collaborates extensively with researchers and scientists in universities, hospitals and start-up businesses, helping to search for science which could, in the future, have a remarkable impact on patient lives.
As medicines are developed, many patients take part in extensive clinical trials. The medicines are also reviewed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to assess safety and efficacy, and to confirm quality. Following this, an independent body then assesses the value of innovative medicines and, through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the government then funds those it determines to have the greatest benefit to Australians. This gives affordable and universal access to new medicines.
We've highlighted the processes of the medicines ecosystem in this video, so you can see just how critical innovation is for uncovering medicines of the future.