Drug development and society

Course goals

In this course you will learn about the complex issues that surround drug development in our society. And you will reflect on your position in this important field.

Drug development is essential for global health. We see this especially during a pandemic, whether of a communicable or a non-communicable disease. But what does the lifecycle of a drug look like? . Like any other commodity drugs have a life cycle beginning at the earliest stage of discovery and leading through the development stages, regulatory review, market authorization, and post-market activities until the drug is no longer on the market. Conventionally, three main stages compose a product's life cycle (PLC):

1. Early
2. Middle
3. Late

Each phase corresponds with particular changes in the identity and behaviour of the product under survey and the stakeholders involved. Mostly, the PLC-pattern is represented by a “bell shape” graph, a parabola.

Is current drug development sustainable? Which phases, investments, decisions are made by which stakeholders and why? And what choices would you make in such a position?

Content

You will learn about the history and current methods of drug development. You will individually study the facts of a particular drug lifecycle, and compare your findings to those of your peers. Then, as a group you will integrate your findings and start discussing the broader issues surrounding this drug lifecycle: the what, the how and the why. This part of the course will be finalized with a debate in which you assume the role of a stakeholder (patient, company, government, scientist, doctor etc.), all having their own biases.
For the final assignment, you are asked to think out of the box and present a possible solution to a chosen drug development problem. For this you will build on what you have learned in the preceding weeks.

Instructional formats:
Lectures from national experts
Dilemma games
Debating
Co-creation
Group project
Written and oral presentation