How collaboration is driving innovation at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health

Dr. Megan Grether is a firm believer in the power of partnerships. A scientist first and foremost, with a PhD in Molecular Genetics and an extensive track record in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Grether saw first-hand, through roles in alliance management and partnering, how collaborative relationships can fuel innovation and progress science. Recently appointed Global Head of Business Development & Licensing at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Dr. Grether shares her thoughts on the role of partnerships in driving innovation.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has a strong history of innovation through collaboration. How important are partnerships to the Company’s innovation strategy?

Dr. Megan Grether: Partnerships are fundamental to our innovation strategy. In fact, we have more thanDr. Megan Grether, Global Head of Business Development & Licensing, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health 250 ongoing collaborations and 8 out of 10 of our top selling products are anchored in external partnerships. Boehringer Ingelheim is a company that is rooted in science, and it’s through science-driven, external partnerships that we’re able to explore emerging scientific opportunities and help develop new ways of treating disease in areas of high unmet need. Collaborations, with biotech and academic partners, play an essential role in helping find solutions to some of the biggest challenges in animal health. 

What do partnerships bring to Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health beyond what the Company can achieve on its own?

Partnerships enable Boehringer Ingelheim – and our industry – to realize even more scientific opportunities than one company could ever achieve on its own. Even though Boehringer Ingelheim is a global leader in Animal Health, there is a wealth of new science, knowledge and expertise throughout the scientific community. I believe that the skills and talents of our partners really complement our in-house scientific capabilities which means together we can learn more, do more and achieve more. 

To what extent does partnership and diversity of thought contribute to innovation?

Diversity of thought is absolutely critical to innovation. Collaborations with the brightest minds across the scientific community provide the spark for unlocking new knowledge, and knowledge is the catalyst for innovation. We all have our own way of viewing the world and the scientific challenges that face us. Partners bring novel perspectives, new technologies, emerging science, and expertise that may prompt a new way of looking at things. This may lead us to explore a path that wasn't initially expected and while this can and does happen internally, this mindset shift is more frequently the result of perspectives gained from external, innovative, diverse communities.

What are the priorities for partnering for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health?

We’re interested in partnerships across the entire value chain of animal health, from exploratory research to distribution agreements. In the research area we concentrate our efforts in those areas of animal health with significant unmet need where we continue to innovate and lead the science. These include non-infectious diseases such as cardio-metabolic and central nervous system diseases, immunology, inflammation & fibrosis, and oncology & cancer immunology. We are also interested in infectious diseases and parasitology as well as oral health and pain and mobility. Finally, we are open to new partnership opportunities in technologies and digital science. For more information on our specific areas of partnering interest visit Animal Health Partnering Interests .

One Health is a concept that has gained increasing traction in recent years. What is your perspective on this and how important is to Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health?

A diverse group of women is collaborating in the lab

The connection between human and animal health has probably never been clearer than it is today through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, we have known about zoonotic diseases for a very long time, and we have strong programs that address these, in foot and mouth disease, and rabies, for instance. Our recently created Transboundary and Emerging Disease Group, for instance, is committed to developing rapid response to emerging and existing diseases that change as they spread, perhaps through climate change or globalization. 

Boehringer Ingelheim is unusual in that it has both Animal Health and Human Pharma research organizations. What are the benefits of this and how is it relevant to partnering?

We do have a unique perspective and the valuable opportunity to leverage synergies with our human pharma colleagues. As well as having several examples of human health medicines that have now been adapted to improve the health and well-being of animals, our colleagues in human pharma research are also learning from some of our innovative research, such as in stem cell therapy. 
We also believe that there are opportunities for human pharma companies to partner with us. Solutions that may not look feasible from a human health perspective may be highly valuable to the animal health community. For example, there is significant unmet medical need in many chronic disease areas in pet therapeutics. Many diseases have mechanisms shared across humans and animals, and animal models and data generated for human health projects could provide valuable insights in animal health. Additionally, companies may have back up assets that could have potential in animal health. We are open to a conversation. And we would really encourage people to think of their assets in a One Health way, with potential relevance to both human and animal health.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim has a distinctive culture. How is this reflected in its relationships with partners?

As a family-owned company, we have always taken a long-term view and apply this equally to our collaborations. We are interested in long-term relationships and once we commit, we take the time to make sure the partnership works. This allows for a degree of freedom in scientific exploration that may not occur in other contexts. The science defines the agenda and the decision making – not the calendar.
We also believe in genuine collaborations where both parties are committed to working side-by-side, listening to and learning from each other as we advance innovation and accelerate the delivery of the next breakthroughs in animal health.  This is a clear win-win for both parties.

What does the future hold for partnerships at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health?

As a scientific community, we have only just begun to scratch the surface of many important diseases in animal health, and there remains huge unmet need in many areas such as infectious disease management, the treatment of parasites, addressing chronic diseases and creating healthier interactions between animals and humans. It’s only by working together that we can learn from each other and continue to solve our biggest challenges in those areas and deliver the next generation of innovative solutions in animal health.