Sustainable Development for the Healthcare Industry

This volume addresses the dynamics of sustainable development in the healthcare industry, covering all major aspects, including R&D, manufacturing, regulation, market access, commercialization, and general management. Healthcare markets are evolving under demographic and economic pressures. In mature markets, patients navigate complex systems with limited control on healthcare quality and outcomes, while in developing markets, patients have limited awareness, access, and ability to pay for healthcare. The industry needs to identify which business targets are genuinely attractive for major or new investments.

At the same time, development of new products and services must be tackled within the context of environmental sustainability. Rather than focusing on the traditional issues of innovation, cost management, and commercial effectiveness associated with growth, the authors explore such emerging topics as:

• The mutations of innovation management
• The need to foster patient-centricity along the entire value chain of the healthcare industry and company-wide
• Issues related to improving healthcare access and disease management
• The allocation of educational resources focused on the patient to increase the effectiveness of disease management
• The preservation of natural resources and the environmental effect of pollution and hazards created by the handling of pharmaceutical products
• Issues related to the size of medical need and/or market demand
• The private-public partnerships necessary to address the full spectrum of public health issues, from basic patient access to care to managing global health crises
• The required organizational and governance evolutions for the healthcare industry to maintain profitability and sustainable growth.

Featuring contributions from leading academics and industry insiders with emphasis on environmental, economically, and socially sustainable practices, the authors present a unique, multi-faceted set of perspectives on this vital and rapidly evolving field.