Cell and gene therapy - the next big thing in medical sales

Cell and gene therapy (CGT) is an innovative and promising field that has the potential to drastically change the healthcare industry. CGT has been touted as a potential long-term solution to debilitating human diseases, such as cancer and genetic disorders. Roughly 350 million people worldwide suffer from rare diseases, with 80% of those being genetic in origin. These genetic diseases were once considered incurable, but now there is hope that a cure is on the horizon.

In the latest UK cell and gene therapy skills demand report, it was revealed that 98% of cell and gene therapy companies are aiming to expand their workforce in the next few years. So that poses the question: what is cell and gene therapy and why is there a growing demand?

What is cell and gene therapy?

Cell and gene therapies are a transformative new category of medicines whose full potential is only just beginning to emerge. Cell and gene therapies involve extracting cells, protein or DNA from the patient or donor and manipulating them to provide personalised treatment.

Cell and gene therapies can offer longer-lasting effects than traditional medicines and have the potential to address complex diseases such as motor neurone disease, cancer and persistent virus infections, for which there are no effective treatments.

The emergence and growing demand for cell and gene therapy

Throughout 2019 and 2020, the development of an mRNA Covid-19 vaccination boosted the profile of cell and gene therapies. But pre-Covid, CGT was already making waves, hitting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.5% since 2015.

Companies investing in the science, technology and clinical trials behind these innovative therapies are already valued at several billion pounds, without having generated any revenue yet. Sales are expected to keep climbing, with CGT expected to reach sales of $45 billion by 2026.

While the impressive investments of the last few years have allowed the CGT industry to evolve, its rapid growth has led to a skills gap that’s hindering the delivery of much-needed therapies to patients. As a result, although the promise and popularity of cell and gene therapy is clear, medical sales firms can still get ahead of the curve by investing time and research into the latest and most innovative trends before they truly take flight.

What does CGT mean for medical sales?

The emergence of cell and gene therapy offers both opportunity and a conundrum for big pharma firms. As new treatment methods emerge, the previously available therapies are theoretically made redundant, and the need to keep up with trends is more significant than ever. There is a great emphasis, by the biopharma industry, on being the first to take advantage of the market, as companies compete to commercialise cures to challenging medical conditions. As a medical sales professional, expertise in CGT can be a fantastic inclusion on your CV and increase your opportunities of taking the next step in your career.

In the last few years, the first group of CGTs has begun to emerge, often with a large price tag attached. Novartis’s gene therapy Zolgensma – one of the most expensive drugs in the world – attempts to provide a cure for spinal muscular atrophy and has been approved by both the FDA and EU.

With treatments already being approved across the globe, the opportunity to capitalise is nearing, and CGT represents a new form of revenue generation. As opposed to the gradual revenue that drug sales garner, CGT therapies can command high fees for each treatment. Therefore, pharma companies will be scrambling to jump ahead of their competition in what can prove to be a pivotal few years for the healthcare industry.

Make your next career move with IQVIA

Now that you’re up to date with cell and gene therapy, it’s time to explore your opportunities. If you’re looking for your next role, why not explore careers at IQVIA? With over 61,000 colleagues working across 100 countries, the career opportunities are endless.

If you're ready to start the search, view our current medical sales representative jobs or browse our other medical sales jobs to find the position that is right for you.