Our understanding of medicine is being revolutionised by the pace of science. But not
all the potential innovations in life sciences and medical technology are taken up into
everyday practice in healthcare, even when they are shown to be beneficial.
For the poorest people in the world, many innovations are not accessible because
they are either unaffordable or unsuitable for their health systems. Tackling this gap
requires the development of appropriate and affordable health technologies and novel
business models.
In the more advanced health systems there is a disconnection
between the effort on research and development (R&D) and how
much of this makes it into mainstream healthcare practice. Even
the most evidence-based and affordable innovations can fail or
are only taken up patchily, whether we compare across countries,
or between localities or health organisations within countries. And
technological innovation can be a problem for those responsible
for paying for health systems. New technologies often increase
costs because they allow us to treat more people for a longer
part of their lives.
Yet the general view amongst politicians, managers and others
involved in healthcare is that health systems across the world need
new thinking. They are increasingly facing escalating demand
from an ageing population and the growing incidence of chronic
disease. Healthcare is consuming an ever-increasing share of
gross domestic product (GDP). The search is on for ways of
providing the best quality healthcare as affordably as possible.
The health technology industries – pharmaceutical and
biotechnology, medical devices, information technology and
the built environment (design, engineering and construction)
– drive much of the innovation that takes place in healthcare.
They are very big business. Collectively these companies have
global revenues in the order of USD 2 trillion a year, about a
quarter of overall global spending on healthcare. But they too
are experiencing a changing landscape – an evolving market
for their products, a changing balance of power across health
systems as governments and payers seek to control costs,
hence pressure on their business models.
Innovation is regarded by economists and politicians as one of the main drivers of
economic growth. It helps to explain why some companies, regions and countries
perform better than others in terms of higher productivity and income. For companies
involved in the health technology sector, and governments in countries where they
are located, there is concern to ensure that their business models are sustainable and
continue to successfully deliver new products to the market