Looking to 2030 Survey Report

What changes will the antibody therapeutics and wider life sciences industries see in the next decade?

How will the antibody therapeutics industry look in 2030?

In March 2020, we surveyed a huge set of life sciences professionals representing every aspect of the global industry about the changes they expect to see over the next decade. With 432 responses, the results reveal unique insights into where those most central to the industry think the biggest opportunities and challenges lie in global pharma and biotech, and how they expect it to look in 2030. Here we have filtered out the overall results to look at the 165 responses from those working in antibody engineering and therapeutics.

Click on any of the graphics in this report to explore the data further.

Note that this survey was completed before the true size of the COVID-19 pandemic was apparent. In a separate survey we asked specifically about the impacts on and response of the antibody therapeutics industry to the coronavirus. We have included key insights from the survey at the end of this section (here).

Demographics

Respondents were largely split evenly between Europe (42%) and North America (40%), with a further 14% based in Asia.
32% work at pharma or biotech companies, followed by 18% at service and technology providers, 14% at consultancies, 13% at CRO/CDMO/CMOs and 11% at academic institutions.
Large companies are best represented, with 39% of respondents working at organizations with over 500 employees.
Respondents represent departments covering every aspect of antibody therapeutic discovery, engineering, development, manufacture, delivery and commercialization.

Which department(s) do you work in?

Opportunities and Challenges

Half of all respondents predict China will see the fastest growth in the life sciences industry in the next 10 years.

"Which geographical area do you think will see the fastest growth in the life sciences industry in the next 10 years?"

Despite all working in antibody therapeutics, respondents predict that gene therapies are the therapeutic that will see the fastest growth in the next 10 years

"Which therapeutic area do you think will see the fastest growth in the next 10 years?"

The finance of drugs is seen as the biggest challenge facing life sciences in the next 10 years, with 27% choosing 'cost of drug development' and 22% 'drug pricing/reimbursement'.

"What do you think is the biggest challenge facing life sciences in the next 10 years?"

Technology

Respondents think AI/machine learning is the technology that will have the biggest impact on antibody therapeutics in the next decade, with an average of 4.13 when asked to rank its impact from 1 to 5. Versus an average of just 3.08 for virtual/augmented reality.

"What impact do you think each of the following technologies will
have on antibody engineering and therapeutics in the next 10 years?"

Click on the graph to explore the data

Increased innovation (39%) and speed (37%) are seen as the biggest benefits that emerging technologies will offer.

"What is the biggest benefit you think emerging technologies will have on the industry in the next 10 years?"

Diversity, inclusion & sustainability

Responses around representation within organizations are hopeful, as many respondents believe that both women and cultural/ethnic minorities are about equally represented in their company. However, 40% still think women are under-represented and 51% see cultural/ethnic minorities as under-represented. Whether these views are reflected in the true data is another issue entirely.

"How well represented do you think women and cultural/ethnic minorities are in your organization up to the most senior positions?"

Respondents were asked to give a rating from 1 - 5 for 'How important do you think sustainability should be when making decisions on the future direction of your company?' and 'What importance does your organization currently place on sustainability when making decisions on the future direction of the company?'. It is clear that both individuals and companies place a fairly high importance on sustainability when making decisions, yet there is still a gap between the two. The average response rating for individuals is 3.77 / 5 - close to 'very important', whilst they see their company rating sustainability as 3.38 / 5 - closer to 'somewhat important'.

The importance put on sustainability when you and your organization are making decisions on the future direction of the company

COVID-19: Antibody therapeutic industry response

In April 2020 we surveyed life sciences industry professionals from around the world on the impacts that COVID-19 was having on them and the response of the global community. 845 respondents completed the survey, and of them, 200 work with antibody therapeutics, largely based in Europe (45%) andNorth America (43%).

Here we present just a few of the key insights from those respondents working in theantibody therapeutics industry, looking at what they think the response to the viruswill be in the coming years.

Two thirds of respondents' organizations are currently working on COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccination or treatment, showing the scale of the response of the antibody therapeutics industry to the virus.

"Is your company/organization working in any way on the development of diagnostics, vaccination or treatment of Covid-19?"

Asked when a vaccine will be first approved, 80% think it will be within 18 months, and 67% think it will be 12 - 24 months before a vaccine is made widely available.

"How soon do you think a vaccine for COVID-19 will be first approved / made widely available to the population in your region?"

68% of respondents think therapeutics to treat/manage COVID-19 symptoms will be made available within 12 months, with virtually none believing there will never be a treatment.

"How soon do you think therapeutics will be made available to treat/manage COVID-19 symptoms?"