The Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation provides a unique platform for dialogue and collaboration among thought leaders and stakeholders in government, academia, industry, foundations, and patient advocacy with an interest in improving the system of drug discovery, development, and translation. The Forum brings together leaders from private sector sponsors of biomedical and clinical research, federal agencies sponsoring and regulating biomedical and clinical research, the academic community, and patients, and in doing so serves to educate the policy community about issues where science and policy intersect. The purpose is to foster dialogue and discussion across sectors and institutions, and to illuminate issues, but not necessarily resolve them. The Forum membership identifies topics that it wishes to address, and with assistance from staff, develops public meetings, internal discussions, symposia, and collaborations. The Forum does not provide advice or recommendations on any specific issue or policy pending before any government agency; summary reports will result from the public conferences. The Forum convenes several times each year to identify, discuss, and act on key problems and strategies in the discovery, development, and translation of drugs. To supplement the perspectives and expertise of its members, the Forum also holds public workshops to focus substantial public attention on critical areas of drug development. Summaries of these meetings are disseminated to the public through printed reports and the Forum website. In addition to large public workshops, Forum activities engage a wide range of experts, the policy community, and members of the public in an informal setting. A combination of Forum members and outside experts comprise several workgroups that examine high-priority issues in depth. In addition, the Forum commissions or develops papers to undertake new research as well as synthesize existing literature and explore scientific and policy issues on selected topics. The Forum also fosters collaborations among its members and constituencies.
The Forum convenes several times each year to identify and discuss key problems and strategies in the discovery, development, and translation of drugs. The Forum's public meetings focus substantial public attention on critical areas of drug development.
