More Angles for an Expanding Story

As biotechnology grows, so does Scientific American Worldview. Now in its third year, we our pleased that an increasing global audience of policymakers, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders and interested consumers are engaging in the issues of international innovation that we tackle both in print and online. As readers from around the globe chime in with their critiques, reactions, insights and suggestions, a complex and nuanced picture of international innovation emerges—one that truly underscores the idea that what works to embolden innovation in one nation is not necessarily the right strategy in another. This year’s Worldview edition offers a brief snapshot of some of these global responses in our new letters section called yourVIEWS.

Indeed, there is no better time to be having a robust and honest discussion of the dynamics of global life science progress. The past two years saw the two biggest biotechnology buyouts in history. In March 2009, the Swiss firm Roche acquired Genentech in the U.S. for $46.8 billion, and in April 2011 the French company Sanofi bought out American biotech Genzyme for $20.1 billion. That makes for two incredibly capital-intensive deals—in a period that will be known for its rough economic climate across all industries—as well as a significant shift in the global distribution of biotechnology leadership.

Our cover story, a special report on Brazil, Russia, India and China—the so-called BRIC nations—explores the spread of biotechnology among these inextricably linked “emerging” markets. Readers will journey from the pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs of Moscow to centers of biotechnology-based crops in Brazil, examining the challenges and the immense potential along the way. This section reveals some of our own expansion as well, as we present exclusive BRIC-nation data provided through collaborations with Cutting Edge Information and Monitor.

We have widened the focus of our annual Worldview Scorecard, increasing the number of assessed countries to 48 (up from last year’s 39). In addition, the 2011 Scorecard includes data and research from our newest content collaborator, IMS Health, a partner that will play a continued role in helping Worldview be the most rigorous source of data and analysis in global biotechnology. Overall, this year’s 30-page Scorecard section provides data, analysis, intriguing comparisons and much more. As in previous years, to balance quantitative and qualitative assessments, we present a new collection of international Spotlights highlighting unique regions of the world and the people, ideas and technologies that are transforming them. 

The power of individual effort appears even more clearly in our first annual Worldview Profiles segment. Here, we profile three leaders in the life sciences: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CEO of Biocon in India; Ge Li, CEO of WuXi AppTec in China; and Guilherme Emrich, owner of FIR Capital Partners in Brazil. These profiles highlight the value of persistence, as well as the benefit of innovative thinking. Each of these biotechnology leaders took on a challenging situation and succeeded, often through sheer willpower and hard work. Worldview will be honoring a triumvirate of innovators in every subsequent edition.

We are profoundly grateful for the support of our sponsors who make the complex endeavor of covering global life science innovation possible: Amgen, our Marquee Sponsor; the Biotechnology Industry Organization; Abbott; Pfizer; and the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation.

We are also indebted to Sean Darragh who, as executive vice president of international affairs for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, championed this project from its inception and helped make it the global resource that it is today.

As we continue to expand our enterprise to bring you more data and details of biotechnology innovation around the world, we appreciate the increased conversation that is building between our readers and us. It is this collaboration—along with the ongoing partnerships with our Board of Advisers and new data partners—that helps us provide a true worldview.