To ensure the availability of new therapies for rare diseases, a functioning cooperation between the public sector, academic research and research-based companies is crucial. With this in mind, Vienna's City Councilor for Health, Social Affairs and Sport, Peter Hacker, paid the Austrian pharmaceutical company AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH ("AOP Health") a visit. The company focusses on research and development in the fields of rare diseases and intensive care medicine.
The City of Vienna plans to establish a new life science cluster. This future center for medical innovation and research not only guarantees the supply of safe and effective therapies to patients, but also secures the business location.
AOP Health welcomed Peter Hacker, City Councillor for Social Affairs, Health and Sports of the City of Vienna, with AOP Health CEOs Martin Steinhart and Bernhard Nachbaur, Markus Satory, Int. Director Market Access & Governmental Affairs, and Johanna Grames, Senior Manager Governmental Affairs & Health Economy
Close professional exchange and well-designed framework conditions
One of the Life Science Cluster’s key tasks will be to create favorable framework conditions for research-based companies. In addition, a close cooperation between public bodies and private companies is necessary to create sustainable innovations that ultimately benefit the patients. Therefore, the continued collaboration between organizations of the City of Vienna and research companies such as AOP Health plays a crucial role in achieving this ambitious goal.
Keeping the location attractive
Bernhard Nachbaur, CEO of AOP Health, stresses the urgency of this cooperation: " After the pandemic, we are facing challenges such as a shortage of specialists and rising costs in the healthcare system. It is vital that resources are kept in mind not only for standard care, but also for clinical research. Vienna must remain an attractive location for research and development in order not to lose touch with Europe and the rest of the world. In this sense, we support the goal of establishing Vienna and Austria as leading centers for collaborative research.”
City Councilor Peter Hacker underlines the importance of medical research for the city of Vienna: “Optimal patient care and the further development of medical applications are at the heart of our healthcare policy. Strengthening Vienna as a healthcare metropolis is very important to us. The recently agreed research and business campus in Vienna-Brigittenau, for example, will be an important building block for connecting scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs and shaping the future of medical research in Vienna. With this in mind, I am proud that Vienna is home to such internationally successful companies as AOP Health.”
Additional new training positions needed
Well-trained specialists are also a key factor for good patient care and successful research in Vienna. City Councilor Hacker and AOP Health representative Bernhard Nachbaur therefore agree that Austria should create more training positions - also in the field of medical studies - in order to work against the shortage of specialists and doctors.
Source: AOP Health
