Please note: this interview has been translated from Dutch to English

Clémence Ross-van Dorp has closely observed the Life Sciences & Health (LSH) sector in recent years, first as an LSH ambassador in the Action Program ‘New Opportunities for Top Sector Life Sciences & Health’ until 2022, and then as a board member of FAST. In an interview marking her departure from the FAST board, she emphasizes: “If the government wants to safeguard patient interests, it must ensure a balanced innovation policy.”

“We are now seeing the results of the efforts made in recent years,” says Ross. “The LSH ecosystem is more connected than ever. FAST has a strong backbone. The ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) recognize its importance and support this interconnectedness and FAST itself. Connectivity and coherence are crucial for the success of all parties because success is achieved through collaboration. Everyone in this sector ultimately strives for the well-being of patients, though from different backgrounds and with different goals. Working together towards this goal benefits everyone.”

Collaboration

Ross has been deeply involved in the LSH sector over recent years. Appointed as an ambassador for the sector in 2019, she led the Action Program ‘New Opportunities for Top Sector Life Sciences & Health’. This program focused on strengthening cooperation between research institutions and companies within regions as well as nationwide collaboration in the sector. “In recent years, I have met many people, and I am struck by how passionately and deeply involved everyone is, both in companies and research institutions. It’s wonderful to be positioned slightly above this all and ask: What is needed to make it an even greater success? A shared long-term vision is the minimal requirement. On the short term onecan always have opportunistic reasons to prioritize one’s own interests. We often see that happpening, especially when funds are scarce or new political realities emerge. But opportunism can also lead to losing friends. Trust is built slowly and lost quickly. In the long term, we always need each other. That’s why we call it an ecosystem.”

Model-Based Approach

To facilitate the development of new treatments and optimize the entire drug delivery system, Ross believes a model-based approach is necessary. Just as data models are used to identify new mechanisms and drug targets, there should be more model-based thinking at the system level. “For instance, we could use a sandbox approach to test alternative business models for specific situations such as drug repurposing and personalized medicine. Or we could analyze what might happen if we introduce elements from other countries. For example, Germany is known for the fastest drug approvals in Europe. That sounds very attractive, so let’s calculate the consequences if we adopted that approach here. Or consider the British system, where an independent institute, NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), determines reimbursement and pricing, rather than a political decision by the minister. In summary, I believe we need to think about the current system in a model-based way, with both public and private parties, to further stimulate innovation. This will require some courage from the government, as it might reveal that some regulations do not work as expected. However, if you always stick strictly to the rules, you won’t make any progress.”

Innovation for Patient Benefit

In order to address current challenges in healthcare and prevention and find treatments for various (rare) conditions that currently have no therapy, innovation is of major importance, according to Ross. “Innovation is of added value for the economy, but it is also crucial for patients, and thus for the Netherlands as a whole. I hope the upcoming government will continue to prioritize innovation. It is essential for the government, as a system player, to strongly support innovation. While companies will continue to innovate, they primarily focus on profitable innovations. The market does not inherently prioritize public interests—it’s the government’s role to ensure that balance. The prospective new Minister of Health has always strongly advocated for patient interests. But without a balanced innovation policy, it’s challenging to safeguard patient interests and control costs. I’m very curious to see how the new government will approach this”

Ross will now look at the sector from a distance as she is considering a new role abroad, which is likely to involve innovation as well. However, she is not planning to sit back and relax. “Who knows, I might be involved in this sector again in the upcoming years, but for now, I will focus on something else. I wish everyone I have spoken with over the past period all the best and hope that everyone continues to collaborate harmoniously for the benefit of patients in the Netherlands and beyond.”