Second research agenda from the IMI

The second version of the Strategic Research Agenda from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has been published by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

The document can be viewed online at: www.efpia.org/4_pos/SRA.pdf.

The agenda describes recommendations on predicting safety and efficacy of new medicines as well as plans to bridge gaps in knowledge management and in education and training - the principal causes of delay in the complex process of developing new medicines.

The Strategic Research Agenda is also a roadmap to guide the rapid implementation of IMI. The European Commission and EFPIA are proposing to create and operate a new Public Private Partnership to lead and co-ordinate the development of Patient Centred Projects to accelerate the discovery and development of more effective innovative medicines.

Building this organisation is pending a favourable decision by the EU Institutions.

Mary Baker, of the European Parkinson's Disease Association, said: 'Patients in Europe need faster access to better medicines so we welcome the publication of the second version of the Strategic Research Agenda.'

'The opportunities in the Innovative Medicines Initiative for academia to participate in high-quality collaborative research projects are immense and encourage academia to participate fully in this exciting development of biomedical research in Europe,' added the Dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Milan, Rodolfo Paoletti.