SCORR Marketing, a global health science marketing and communications firm, and Applied Clinical Trials have released a new study that details the extent to which collaboration in the life sciences industry occurs and provides insight into the factors that influence this collaboration.

"To fight the growing complexity and costs of drug development, drug sponsors are turning to a variety of strategies, one of which is collaborating on research and development (R&D)," said Anne-Marie Hess, senior strategic advisor at SCORR. "To help the industry better understand this strategy, we gathered information about attitudes toward collaborative R&D, its benefits and risks, which groups participate in such collaborations and why some partnerships are more productive than others."

In addition, this report has information on why those in the industry think these arrangements are increasing, which stakeholders are more receptive to R&D partnerships and what types of medicines, therapeutic areas and medical devices will see more research and development through collaboration in the years ahead.

"Shared expertise and more efficient resource allocation were the two greatest perceived benefits of collaborative R&D," said Lisa Henderson, group content director, Applied Clinical Trials, and Pharmaceutical Executive at UBM Americas. "What surprised us throughout the survey was the large discrepancy we found in some areas based on the respondents’ demographics — where their company was headquartered, the size of their company and their particular field."