Capturing new markets

The international healthcare industry is driven by a growing demand for new therapies to match ageing populations and consumer demand for more personalised treatment in a background of rising costs and regulatory safety compliance. Growing awareness of the link between lifestyle and longevity is also driving a convergence between health, nutrition and information technology - creating new market opportunities.

A partnership with New Zealand can help companies deliver new therapies and treatments in a high quality cost effective manner. Our companies, universities and research institutions offer world-changing ideas, creative intellect and high value specialisation. New Zealand leverages off its expertise in animal health, and has a demonstrated ability to spin off successful companies from research discoveries. Our small, specialist healthcare companies are highly responsive to market developments, and our excellent demographics make New Zealand an ideal location for drug development.

Breaking new ground

New Zealand excels in research into cancer, diabetes, metabolic disorders, asthma, autoimmune and neurological diseases. We have unique expertise in foetal development, nutrition research and brain development and aging, early phase clinical trials, discovery research animal models and toxicology.

Our highly-talented researchers are world-leaders in cancer treatments such as hypoxia, and have successfully transferred their research into spin-off companies. Cutting-edge cancer research capabilities have produced several compounds that have completed clinical trials and been out-licensed.

New Zealand ’s has a strong base of diabetes research in the tertiary sector. This expertise has resulted in spin -off companies exploring and developing therapeutic opportunities in metabolic diseases including treatments for diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

New Zealand ’s strength in neurological disease research is being put to use in an FDA-approved gene therapy trial underway in the United States. One key research institute is focused on the development of the brain and its function in diseases in children, while other research teams are focused on the impact of genetic variation on individual responses to drugs. Pipeline commercial projects include compounds which mimic innate CNS protection and repair mechanisms.

New Zealand ’s long track record in respiratory research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of both allergic and non-allergic asthma.

New Zealand has been a pioneer in foetal growth research. New Zealand scientists’ discovery that steroid injections could mature the lungs of premature babies immediately halved the babies’ death rate.

New Zealand has some capacity to run early stage clinical trials with specialisation in areas such as respiratory, oncology and renal. New Zealand has leader in latter stage trials for meningococcal vaccines, pulmonary embolism prevention trial (involving 17,000 patients in five countries) and polypill development.

To find out how you can access New Zealand’s ingenuity in the development of healthcare products, contact Investment New Zealand, the investment promotion agency of the New Zealand Government. Investment New Zealand understands the biotechnology industry and has extensive networks within it, allowing us to identify and facilitate investment opportunities relevant to you.

Reports & Publications

• More Reports & Publications