Access To Genomic Data "Becoming Essential"

Unless a pharmaceutical company has access to genomic information, through collaborations with specialty genomics companies or the development of in-house genomic capabilities, it will find it increasingly difficult to compete in the marketplace, according to a new study from Datamonitor, which is available through the Marketletter.

The study examines the "maze" of deals agreed between genomic and drug companies, noting that some of the largest collaborative deals in recent pharmaceutical history have been formed in this way.

The commercialization of genomics has progressed rapidly, says the study; already more than 10 companies in the USA and four in Europe specialize in this technology. Human Genome Sciences, set up only three years, claimed to have identified over 90% of all human genes, and other companies, such as Incyte and Millennium, make similar claims.