Innovation in development

UCB has a strong Development pipeline and a proven track record in obtaining product approvals. The wealth of our experience and our continual pursuit of clinical excellence fosters an environment of seeking innovative strategies to bring medical solutions to patients, practitioners and payers in a safe and expedient manner.

Our project teams are encouraged to take time out to think about the disease, the effect on patients and the underpinning science in order to develop breakthrough medicines of the future. Imagining the possibilities is the first step towards innovation.

One team approach

At UCB, the project team extends well beyond Development and encompasses knowledge from all disciplines across the company. Such broad expertise enables fully informed and focused development of the product. With an understanding of the disease, its underlying mechanisms and the impact on the patient we are better able to meet the unmet needs and target our therapies to the right patient.

Traditionally Research and Development have been separate entities within the pharmaceutical industry. UCB has made significant leaps in bridging this artificial gap to promote 'One Team'. Translational medics are in place to help Research effectively utilise data coming back from the clinic and similarly support Development in incorporating the science to devise and refine their clinical programmes to maximum effect.

Global Exploratory Development

The translational medics belong to the Global Exploratory Medicine (GED) group. GED is a new group in UCB R&D focusing on establishing an optimum knowledge base for our early projects, in order to increase the likelihood of success in late stage development. In addition, GED plays a key role in implementing biomarker programmes in our projects, ensuring early proof-of-concept for earliest possible decision making and, where applicable, using biomarkers to identify responders, non-responders and potential safety concerns, thereby aiming at delivering stratified medicine to the patients. Furthermore, GED drives the implementation of so-called Model Based Drug Development, a discipline becoming the golden standard in leading companies as well as regulatory agencies, and which utilises advanced computer modelling and simulation to drive decision making.

We are collaborating with world-leading academic institutions within the field of biomarkers, modelling, experimental therapeutics and the likes, as well as keeping close contact with the Office of Clinical Pharmacology at the FDA, thereby ensuring that we are always at the forefront.

GED's mission is to:

• ensure optimal use of biomarkers for early decision making, stratification of patients in clinical trials and, when applicable, bringing stratified therapies to the market,
• support UCB with high quality modelling and simulation support from early research to approval and beyond as well as in-depth understanding of the Clinical P K of UCB compounds and,
• ensure best-in-class exploratory development programmes with strong focus on learning and timely execution and reporting of exploratory phase clinical studies.