From a general perspective, risk management allows company to better anticipate potential risks to take effective control measures and thus guarantee its continuity. But why is this even more important for biotechs?
Why Risk Management Biotech
In biotech, risk management refers to the process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks associated with the development, production, and commercialization of medicinal products and biotechnologies. Biotech industry has this almost unique characteristic of driving highly complex, uncertain, and risky products with the challenge to address human needs. This is therefore of paramount importance in the biotech industry to identify correctly and address potential risks.
Risk management plan is a living document and necessitates a responsible person, often the project manager, to maintain it and ensure all actions are set, emerging risks taken into consideration and communicated to relevant persons withing the organization.
Key Aspects of Risk Managment
We will review here some key aspects of risk management in biotech:
- Risk Identification: As for all fields, the very first step is to identify potential risks specific to the biotech industry, such as regulatory compliance, intellectual property protection, product efficacy, and safety concerns. It is key here to ensure identifying and listing risks perceived of less importance or less impact or probability.
- Risk Assessment: Once identified, risks are assessed in terms of their likelihood of occurrence and potential impact on the project or organization. This involves evaluating the scientific, technical, regulatory, financial, and operational aspects of the biotech venture.
- Risk Mitigation: Strategies and measures to alleviate the risk are here identified and most importantly are put in place to minimize or eliminate identified risks. This may include securing intellectual property rights, implementing quality assurance & quality control processes, conducting additional studies, ensuring regulatory compliance, addressing vendors identification, selection, and management, maintaining a robust supply chain with double sourcing.
- Risk Monitoring: Risks should be continuously monitored throughout the lifecycle of a biotech project. This involves regular review and assessment of risk factors, tracking of emerging risks, updating risk management plans accordingly and mainly implement new actions.
- Contingency Planning: In the event that a risk materializes, contingency plan should be in place to minimize the impact on the project or organization. This may involve having backup resources, alternative development pathways, substitute indication, back up compound, crisis management protocol.
- Regulatory Compliance: Given the highly regulated nature of the biotech industry, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and ensure compliance. This role within a biotech is key to secure compound development.
- Stakeholder Communication: Effective communication with all stakeholders, including investors, employees, regulators, patient representatives, KOL, is highly important for managing risks in biotech. Transparent and timely communication helps build trust, manage expectations, detect signals and address concerns.
Basically, risk management in biotech is a proactive and ongoing process. Risk management plan is a living document and necessitates a responsible person, often the project manager, to maintain it and ensure all actions are set, emerging risks taken into consideration and communicated to relevant persons withing the organization. Last but not least, having a comprehensive risk management plan in place in biotech reassures noticeably investors.
