Panel, Conference Presentation
The Future of Health: A New World of Collaboration
- Strategic Shift in Collaboration Focus: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and broader health sectors have shifted over the last decade from exclusive focus on basic/translational science to building cross-sector collaborations involving industry, philanthropy, government, and schools of public health for health prevention and wellness.
- Cancer Trust Model: Celgene led a collaboration with Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, Columbia, and Penn to share patents and royalties for earlier diagnosis and treatment, aiming to reduce redundant costs in biostatistics while maintaining competition for invention.
- Antimicrobial Resistance Stewardship: GW School of Public Health and the CDC initiated a collaboration to stop "blame-shifting" among clinicians, patients, and farmers regarding antibiotic overuse, successfully engaging the chicken industry to eliminate routine antibiotic additives in feed.
- Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP): NIH is leading AMP, now in its third year, to accelerate therapeutics for diabetes, Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Parkinson's by identifying pre-competitive research areas.
- Cancer Immunotherapy Funding: A new AMP partnership includes 11 companies (including Celgene) contributing $5 million each, plus NIH's $160 million contribution, totaling $215 million to investigate why immunotherapy succeeds in some cancers (melanoma, leukemia) but fails in solid tumors like pancreatic, brain, prostate, and breast cancer.
- Human Capital Investment: World Bank analysis indicates human capital comprises approximately 75% of global assets, driving the focus on extending life expectancy (up 80% projected in South/Southeast Asia) and lifelong education.
- Corporate Wellness at Celgene: Celgene cites preventing 7,000+ chronic disease cases among employees as a priority, citing a success in eliminating premature births through prenatal education and subsidizing healthy cafeteria options to control long-term healthcare costs.
- Opioid Epidemic Statistics: Overdose deaths from opioids now exceed those from car accidents and surpassed HIV/AIDS death rates at their 1980s peak; 80% of the 2 million currently addicted started with prescription opioids.
- NIH "All of Us" Initiative: Launching in spring following a beta test with 5,000 participants, the "All of Us" program aims to enroll 1 million Americans in a longitudinal study using electronic health records, whole genome sequencing, and wearable sensors to address health disparities.
- Obesity and Cancer Link: Obesity is identified as a risk factor for 40% of cancers in the U.S. (55% of men, 24% of women), with incidence rates concentrating in states with higher obesity rates.
- Global Obesity Trends: Global obesity has tripled since 1975, resulting in 1.9 billion people currently overweight or obese, with lifestyle factors like diet exported globally contributing to rising hormone-driven cancer rates in countries like China.
- Opioid Treatment Research: NIH and FDA have engaged 33 companies to develop better medication-assisted treatments (e.g., buprenorphine, methadone), non-addictive pain medicines, and overdose reversal solutions.
- Life Expectancy Reversal: The U.S. is experiencing a rare downturn in life expectancy, particularly among lower-income populations, driven by obesity, opioid addiction, alcohol-related mortality, and suicide.
- Healthcare Cost Crisis: Chronic diseases cost the U.S. between $3 trillion and $4 trillion annually, comprising both hard healthcare costs and soft costs like absenteeism and presenteeism.
- Future Leadership Development: GW School of Public Health reports a surge in student interest in leadership tracks (500 undergraduates, 2,200 total), focusing on teaching cross-disciplinary skills in finance, management, and negotiation alongside epidemiology.
- Funding Challenges: NIH research funding purchasing power remains approximately 20% below 2003 levels despite recent congressional improvements, creating talent utilization gaps.
- Call to Action for Industry: Panelists urge corporations to adopt a leadership role in prevention, emphasizing that "doing good is good business" and that private sector innovation cycles are faster than government processes.
- Structural Health Interventions: GW recommends architectural changes, such as placing central staircases to encourage physical activity, as a tangible method for institutions to foster wellness and reduce chronic disease risks.