Medicines of Tomorrow: Horizon Scanning Forum

Presented by Medicines Australia in partnership with the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, Medicines of Tomorrow showcases the major global therapeutic advances delivering a step change in patient treatments and outcomes and disrupting our health care system in coming years.

Robust horizon scanning is an indicator of a world-class health system and insights through horizon scanning can speed up patient access to new medicines and improve health, wellbeing and economic outcomes.

This event serves as an important platform to showcase major therapeutic advances which may enter Australia’s regulatory or reimbursement systems within the decade and may represent a significant disruption in the treatment paradigm and/or require innovation in health care system planning. The Forum also highlights the potential implications for governments from the introduction of these advances in terms of resources, systems and processes. 

This year, we bring together experts across four therapeutic areas where innovative new classes of medicines and treatments are on the horizon for Australians:  cell and gene therapies, vaccine technology, novel antimicrobial resistance therapies and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence that are impacting medicine discovery and development processes.

Cell and gene therapies are revolutionising medicine and holds great potential to transform patient outcomes. Healthcare systems and processes, including HTA, service delivery and funding approaches, must adapt to ensure that Australians will benefit from these new technologies in efficient, patient centric healthcare delivery models. The cost, data impediments and unclear reimbursement pathways for cell and gene therapies pose a significant challenge to our existing health technology assessment system.

Advanced vaccine technologies: In a new era of infectious disease, characterised by outbreaks of emerging, re-emerging and endemic pathogens, investment in preventing disease is critical to the health of people, our economy and the sustainability of our healthcare system. Key to this is ensuring that our regulatory and reimbursement processes are ready to efficiently evaluate and appropriately value innovation and new technologies to continue to attract research and investment to Australia.

Novel antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats facing man kind. It is estimated bacterial AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and has contributed to 4.95 million deaths worldwide. This session will look at the challenge of AMR, potential regulatory and reimbursement reforms, and new antimicrobial therapies in development. 

Digital technologies are revolutionising the global pharmaceutical industry, through the use of AI, big data analytics and machine learning in the development of biotherapeutic products, pharmaceuticals and vaccines. How these technologies are regulated, funded and provided to patients needs to be considered in the coming years.

• 8:30am Registrations open
• 9:30am Welcome

Welcome & opening remarks Ms Liz de Somer, Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Australia

Address from Assistant Minister for Health The Hon Ged Kearney MP

The Horizon Scanning Scene Ms Penny Shakespeare, Deputy Secretary, Department of Health and Aged Care

The patient voice Ms Ann Single, The Patient Voice Initiative

• 10:00am Session 1: Emerging Disruptive Technologies – Cell and Gene Therapies

Cell and gene therapies – call for strategic coordination Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM (session facilitator) Director, Australia’s Cell and Gene Catalyst

Cell and gene therapies – opportunities on the horizon Prof John Rasko AO Head of Department, Cell & Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T therapy A/Prof Philip Thompson, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Barriers to patient access to cell and gene therapies Mr Warwick Shaw, Market Access, Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine CRISPR/ Cas9 gene editing therapy Mr Quentin Bracquart, Principal, IQVIA Management Consulting

• 10:50am Session panel Q&A Session speakers and Agnes Nsofwa (Executive Director, Australian Sickle Cell Advocacy Inc) and Ms Katrina Lapham (Director, Strategic Market Access and Policy, Biointelect)
• 11:20am Morning Tea
• 11:45am Session 2: Novel technologies to prevent communicable diseases

Technologies in the pipeline to prevent communicable diseases Ms Jennifer Herz (session facilitator), Co-Founder & Director, Biointelect

Emerging communicable threats and Australia’s preparedness Prof Paul Kelly, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Aged Care

Challenges and opportunities to implement novel technologies to prevent communicable diseases Prof Paul Griffin, Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health Services Brisbane

Industry vaccines technology showcase presentations Dr Krishan Thiru, Medical Director, Pfizer Australia Dr Iris Depaz, Head of Medical Vaccines ANZ, Sanofi

• 12:35pm Panel Q&A Session speakers
• 1:00pm Lunch Break
• 1:45pm Session 3: Novel Antimicrobial Technology

Patient story Mr Chris Bond OAM PLY, Captain of the Australian Steelers Wheelchair Rugby team

The Antimicrobial (AMR) crisis Mr Andrew Bowskill (session facilitator) Director of Stakeholder Engagement for Queensland, MTPConnect. Co-chair Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network (AAMRNet)

Antimicrobial Regulation and Reimbursement Ms Renae Beardmore, Managing Director, Evohealth

Antimicrobial resistance, the clinical experience, and Phage Therapy Prof Jon Iredell, Senior Staff Specialist, Infectious Diseases & Microbiology, Westmead Hospital

Industry antimicrobial technology showcase presentation Dr Scott Preiss, Medical Affairs Director, Vaccines, GSK

• 2:35pm Session panel Q&A Session speakers and Mr Mike Stephens (Director of Medicines Policy and Program at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
• 3:05pm Session 4: Digital Technology

Industry digital technology showcase presentation: The Use of AI-driven in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tools Dr Diana Zhang, Fulbright Scholar & 2023 NSW Young Woman of the Year Finalist Ms Oona Reardon, Director, Pulse Economics Consulting

The Transformative Potential of Digital Health Kim Smyth (session facilitator), General Manager, Investment, AndHealth

Panel Q&A Session speakers and Olivia Nassaris (CEO Parkinsons Australia) and Dean Whiting (CEO Pathology Technology Australia)

• 3:40pm Working afternoon tea
• 3:50pm Session 5: Gearing up for change – reforming the system and the role of horizon scanning

Facilitator: Liz de Somer, Medicines Australia CEO Dr Anna Lavelle AM, Medicines Australia Chair Urs Voegeli, Managing Director J&J Dr Paul Fennessey, horizon scanning expert

Wrap up and closing remarks DoHAC and Medicines Australia

• 4:30pm – 6:00pm Networking drinks