S5. E3. 疫期共好・一起共好 Better Together

自成立以來，百靈佳殷格翰就一直很重視締結聯盟以及長期合作的力量。以聯盟夥伴關係為基底的取向，不只令公司更具創新性，也幫助我們克服如 COVID-19新型冠狀病毒肺炎這類大型流行病等重大挑戰。

SARS-CoV-2 新型冠狀病毒在世界各界迅速傳播，各國政府一開始只是進行隔離。接著則是禁止（長途）旅行，建議民眾避免在非公眾場合行動，盡量在家工作。許多國家為遏止疫情蔓延，決議了各種史無前例的政策措施，也對未來造成重大的影響；即便如此，這些措施成功減緩了病毒的傳播速度。但在2020秋天，我們發現這些成功只是暫時的。若要有效治療並且擊敗COVID-19新型冠狀病毒肺炎，我們需要更精準的工具：治療方案與疫苗；要開發這些工具，我們必須反「隔離」而行，重視國際合作。

百靈佳殷格翰正在與冠狀病毒歐洲加速研發聯盟（Corona Accelerated R&D in Europe，簡稱 CARE聯盟）緊密合作。這是一個由 37間研究機構以及製藥公司合作的計畫，聯手研發能中和病毒的抗體。百靈佳殷格翰也積極的參與比爾暨梅琳達蓋茲基金會（Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation）推廣的新冠肺炎治療加速器（COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator）行動。科學家正在演算、梳理百靈佳殷格翰的分子資料庫，尋找或許可以攻擊特定病毒酶的小分子，同時有系統的審查百靈佳殷格翰HIV和C型肝炎研究中所發現的可用物質，測試它們是否也能用於於治療COVID-19患者。

執行這些計畫之時，百靈佳殷格翰與各界共享知識，是非常自然的事。百靈佳殷格翰董事會主席Hubertus von Baumbach說：「患者與制止疫情發展，是一切計畫的核心動力。我們要在相對短的時間內，為全世界的人提供醫療解決方案。唯有盡可能的招募合作夥伴，大家一起貢獻知識與經驗，才能改善我們的未來。」

要將研究成果轉化為患者能使用的新藥，藉由合作可能會有意想不到的奇效。Risankizumab就是一個實例。此單株抗體由百靈佳殷格翰首先發現，現在是百靈佳殷格翰與AbbVie製藥公司的共同合作案。AbbVie製藥公司負責研發以及全球商務活動推廣。自2019年以來，AbbVie製藥公司以Skyrizi^®的名稱銷售risankizumab，用於治療中度至重度斑塊牛皮癬（plaque psoriasis）。

當專家們融合彼此的見解時，總是能激盪出更多的新知識

知識共享

「知識共享」無論在業界或科學界，都是常見的模式。日本知識創造理論的共同創始人野中郁次郎（Ikujiro Nonaka）與竹內弘高（Hirotaka Takeuchi），使用「知識螺旋」的概念說明該理論的運轉機制。當專家們結合彼此的見解，都會產生新的知識。不同人在不同團隊中工作時，也會激發出更多的解決方案。當團隊成員採納其他人的想法，並內化為自己的想法時，甚至會出現新的策略。曾經參加「腦力激盪」的人，都不會對這種循環效益感到陌生。

藉由科學家們開始有系統的記錄他們的想法，並與彼此分享，也能觀察到知識共享的效益。大家合作，對抗傷害人類的各種威脅（如：癌症）。為了提高成功的機率，規模龐大、來自各個領域的研究人員團隊，必須齊心向共同的目標前進。許多分組議題組凝結為全面性的總計畫；百靈佳殷格翰位於奧地利維也納研究中心的癌症專家，正在試驗KARS蛋白—KARS蛋白是引發數項癌症的關鍵因子—希望能研發出抑制劑。其他團隊則在嘗試解讀人類免疫系統，用以追蹤並摧毀發生突變的細胞，最終目標是研發癌症疫苗。這個大型計畫有數百名人員參與其中。

開放式創新

自從創辦人Albert Boehringer創辦百靈佳殷格翰，我們始終堅持並遵守「合作勝於單打獨鬥」的原則。Albert Boehringer以身作則，為公司奠定並鞏固集體意識，百靈佳殷格翰的企業文化以團隊合作為基石，重視個人的人格特質，也強調互相尊重。跨領域的科學研究合作促成nintedanib藥劑面市，不只可應用於不同類型的肺部疾病，甚至能用於其他醫療領域中愈來愈多種適應症。這是資訊交換的成果。

在與科學家以及其他公司等外部夥伴合作時，百靈佳殷格翰也是秉持同樣的合作精神。例如，Heinrich Wieland自1917年起，就一直支持公司初創之時成立的研究部門，他經常與他在慕尼黑大學指導的博士生一起進行創新性工作。如今，百靈佳殷格翰透過opnMe.com平台分享研究成果，提供分子給科學界使用。研究人員可以直接在opnMe.com平台上「網購」分子進行實驗。身為「分子合作（molecules for collaboration）」計劃的成員，研究人員甚至可以申請尚未取得專利的分子。百靈佳殷格翰也為如維也納分子病理學研究所（Research Institute of Molecular Pathology，IMP）等研究機構提供支持。從2014年至2018年，成功向歐洲研究委員會申請到贊助的名額中，IMP在172個歐洲研究機構中排名第三，在基礎分子生物學研究領域取得卓越的成就與聲譽。

堅持不懈

在COVID-19新型冠狀病毒肺炎流行期間，百靈佳殷格翰不將「競爭」視為必要之事；身處製藥產業的我們，必須齊心協力才能應對這場全球性危機。在全世界都在與病毒抗爭的同時，百靈佳殷格翰的專家以及合作夥伴，已經在著手研究下一個潛在全球性公共衛生危機：抗微生物抗藥性（Antimicrobial Resistance；簡稱AMR）。已經產生抗藥性的細菌植株，無法再用抗生素進行治療。百靈佳殷格翰與20多間製藥企業一起發起AMR行動基金，投資近10億美金，目標是在2030年之前為患者提供2至4種新抗生素。

在日漸複雜的世界中，「成功」更取決於內外合作的能力。

Hubertus von Baumbach —— 董事會主席

百靈佳殷格翰延續創立之初的傳統，重視與夥伴合作而產出的力量。以夥伴關係為基石的行動取向，在公司的參與式文化被完整的呈現出來。儘管各國政府都在執行鎖國的政策，百靈佳殷格翰身為一間製藥公司，卻持續與全球各國交流中。Hubertus von Baumbach表示：「在日漸複雜的世界中，『成功』更取決於內外合作的能力。從過去135年（Since 1885）的發展過程中，我們已經學會一件事：『成功絕對是由眾人共同努力、累積而成』，唯有建立鞏固的合作關係，我們才能掌握今天和明天迎面而來的機會。」

Better Together

Since its foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim has emphasized the power of collaboration and long- term cooperation. This partnership-based approach does not only make the company more innovative, but it also helps to circumvent major challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the novel coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2) began rapidly spreading worldwide, governments could initially do little more than keeping people apart. They also banned travel and recommended that people work from home while shutting down public life. The measures adopted in many countries to curb the pandemic were as far-reaching as they were unprecedented – and they slowed the spread of the virus. Yet by the fall of 2020, it was already clear that these successes were merely temporary. More precise tools – therapies and vaccines – are needed if the COVID-19 disease is to be effectively treated or even defeated. Developing these tools requires the opposite of isolation: international cooperation.

For this reason, Boehringer Ingelheim is working intensively with the CARE consortium (Corona Accelerated R&D in Europe), a collaborative project of 37 research institutions and pharmaceutical companies. Together, they are developing antibodies to neutralize the virus. Boehringer Ingelheim is also active in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scientists are using algorithms to comb through Boehringer Ingelheim’s molecular library in search of small molecules which may be able to attack specific viral enzymes. And they are systematically reviewing whether the already available substances from Boehringer Ingelheim’s HIV and hepatitis C research can be used to treat COVID-19 patients as well.

With all of these research initiatives, it was only natural for Boehringer Ingelheim to share its knowledge. “It’s all about the patients’ well-being and stopping the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim. Isolated efforts are the wrong strategy. “We need medical solutions for people worldwide within a relatively short period of time. We will only improve our prospects if as many partners as possible collaborate and contribute their knowledge and experience.”

Transforming research results into the making of a new drug for patients is sometimes better achieved in cooperation. This was the case with risankizumab. Originally developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, this monoclonal antibody is now part of a collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and AbbVie, with AbbVie leading development and global commercialization. Since 2019, it has been marketed by AbbVie under the name Skyrizi^® for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Every time experts combine their in- sights, this produces new knowledge.

Shared Knowledge

This approach is neither new to the industry nor to science. The Japanese co-founders of the modern approach to knowledge management, Ikujirō Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, use a “knowledge spiral” concept to illustrate the circular mechanism involved. Every time experts combine their insights, this produces new knowledge. When various people work together on a team, a number of possible solutions automatically present themselves. New strategies may even arise when a team member adopts their colleagues’ ideas, takes them a step further and combines them with their own ideas. Anyone who has ever organized a brain- storming event will be familiar with this productive circular effect.

This can be observed on a large scale since scientists began systematically recording their ideas and sharing them with each other. They cooperate in the battle against challenges for humanity such as cancer. In order to have even the chance of being successful, large teams of researchers from a wide variety of fields must work toward a joint goal. The overall picture is made up of many small pieces of the puzzle: The cancer research experts at Boehringer Ingelheim’s research site in Vienna, Austria, are experimenting with the KRAS protein, which is responsible for various types of cancer. They want to use tailored proteins to deactivate it. At the same time, other teams in the company are trying to get the body’s immune system to track down and destroy mutated cells. Their goal is to develop a kind of cancer vaccine. This complex project involves many hundreds of participants.

Open Innovation

Since the days of the company’s founder Albert Boehringer, Boehringer Ingelheim has based its work on the principle that cooperation is more productive than going for it alone. Albert Boehringer himself laid the foundation for this by anchoring a strong collective spirit in the company’s culture, characterized by esteem and mutual respect. Interdiciplinary collaboration among scientists let the substance nintedanib to be used not only for a whole series of different lung diseases but also in an increasing number of new indications from other therapeutic areas. This is the result of a natural exchange of information.

The same spirit extends to Boehringer Ingelheim’s work with external partners such as scientists and other companies. For instance, Heinrich Wieland, who supported the company’s first research department from 1917 onwards, frequently conducted pioneering work together with his doctoral students at the University of Munich. Today, Boehringer Ingelheim provides the scientific community with molecules created through its own research activities via its “opnMe.com” platform. Researchers can order molecules like they would in an online shop and get them delivered free for use in their experiments. As part of the “molecules for collaboration” program, scientists can even apply for molecules that have not been patented yet. Boehringer Ingelheim also supports research institutions such as Vienna’s Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP). Ranking third among 172 European Research Institutions with regard to the share of successful grant applications from the European Research Council from 2014 to 2018, the IMP has earned an outstanding reputation in the field of basic molecular biology research.

Persistence

It was thus not a big step for Boehringer Ingelheim to approach its competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry must pull together in the fight against this global crisis. While the world is grappling with the virus, Boehringer Ingelheim’s experts and their partners are already busy in tackling the next potential global health threat: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These are bacterial strains that have developed resistance and can therefore no longer be treated with antibiotics. Boehringer Ingelheim is participating in the AMR Action Fund, an initiative of more than 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. They are investing nearly a billion USD to bring between two and four new antibiotics to the market by 2030.

“In an increasingly complex world, success is even more tied to the ability to work together, both internally and externally.”

Hubertus von Baumbach

Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors

Boehringer Ingelheim is thereby relying once again on the power of partnership, as it has for generations. This partnership-based approach is reflected in its participatory company culture, its external collaborative research, and its interaction with the industry. While governments have had to close their countries’ borders, Boehringer Ingelheim has opened up even further as a pharmaceutical company. “In an increasingly complex world, success is even more tied to the ability to work together, both internally and externally,” says Hubertus von Baumbach. “If the last 135 years have taught us one thing, it is that success is always an achievement of many – and only with strong partnerships, we will be able to harness the opportunities of today and tomorrow.”