Science pour Tous 06 conference: "From the laboratory to the patient: How are the treatments of tomorrow developed?"

The way in which healthcare products are developed and brought to market raises many questions amongst the general public, ranging from legitimate concerns (is this product effective and safe, or is it dangerous?) to the most far-fetched theories. This lecture aims to explain how, in Europe, healthcare products are invented (research), developed (design, development), authorised (brought to market) and monitored (pharmacovigilance). Three types of product will be used as examples: - Conventional chemical medicines (known as small molecules) - Advanced therapy medicinal products (biologicals, cells and tissues) - Medical devices (e.g. vascular stents) A brief overview of the specific characteristics of vaccines will round off this presentation. Alain Piton began his career in academic research, studying immunology using primate models in Toulouse. In 1989, he joined Pfizer, where he served as Associate Director for R&D in France and subsequently as Director of Quality Management for Research in Europe. In 2007, he joined Galderma / Nestlé Skin Health at the Sophia Antipolis site to head up quality management for global R&D (France, the USA and Japan). In 2014, he set up a consultancy firm specialising in healthcare products.