Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to provide students with the methods and tools for drug innovation management. Specifically, the following topics will be discussed: 1) paten protection for pharmaceuticals; 2) economic evaluaton of patents; and 3) funding innovation (phases, sources and tools). The course will include lectures, practical exercises, and group work focused on the critical evaluation of a business plan.

There are no textbooks. Ad hoc teaching materials and tools will be provided for all topics.

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students are expected to understand the regulation of patent protection in the pharmaceutical sector, to estimate the economic value of patents, and to know funding sources of innovations in the pharmaceutical sector.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to assess the patentability of an invention, to use analytical tools for the economic evaluation of patents, and to design a business plan of inventions that are either patented or currently undergoing the patenting process.

Making judgments
The course will foster the analytical and critical skills necessary to effectively manage the information and data required to maximize the economic value of an invention.

Communication skills
The course will facilitate the acquisition of appropriate economic terminology and the ability to work in teams, as well as the capacity to present the key elements required to secure funding in a structured and concise manner.

Learning skills
The course will provide tools for gathering key information to estimate the economic value of a patent, for the critical use of information sources, and for design and populate economic evaluation models for patents.

Students must have attended the "Economics and Management of the Pharmaceutical Industry" course (second year).

The course includes: lectures; exercises on the economic value of patents and patent coverage analysis; and group work focused on a critical analysis of a Business Plan, from a funder's viewpoint.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff “Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti", consulting the University webpage: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studenti- disabili-e-dsa. Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Students will be assessed as part of the final integrated examination for the "Drug Discovery and Development" course.
The exam will consist of two parts.
Written Exam. The written exam will cover the various modules course and it aims to assess knowledge and understanding of the theoretical content taught during the course. The written exam will account for 60% of the final grade. The grade for the written exam will be calculated as a weighted average of the scores obtained in the individual course modules.
Group Presentation. Students will work in groups. The group work will critically analyze a business plan from the perspective of a potential early-stage investor. Peer evaluation will be used to evaluate each student's contribution to the group work. The oral presentation will account for 40% of the final grade.
Assessment Criteria. The overall assessment will consider: knowledge and understanding of the covered topics; ability to integrate skills and knowledge from the various course modules; ability to apply knowledge to realistic drug development scenarios; independent judgment and critical analysis skills; appropriate use of scientific and technical terminology; quality of the presentation and argumentation; ability to use and critically discuss the information sources utilized in preparing the case study.

Pharmaceutical patents: regulation, criteria, process, duration of patent protection, and patent databases. Economic evaluation of patents: costs method, market potential method, and benchmarking approach. Patent sales and licensing agreements. Technology transfer. Innovation management. Funding. Pitch and Business Plan.

Students will learn how to:
- adopt an economic approach to evaluate pharmaceutical inventions;
- maximize the economic value of inventions;
- estimate the drug research and development costs;
- estimate the drug market potential;
- identify potential funders for pharmaceutical inventions and understand their evaluation criteria;
- manage relationships within working groups.