Why new drug studies are a driver for development, 'Circular Research' campaign kicks off

Come to think of it, the image alone defines the value of the initiative. Research is the centre, the nerve centre of attraction on which the future of people's health and the challenge of innovation depend. Around it revolve the many stakeholders positioned within an imaginary sphere that gathers requests, needs, perspectives, choices in a path of participation and sharing. Only, besides giving a visual representation of this fundamental process for science and society, it is necessary to have participatory tools that allow all stakeholders to place their brick in the construction of a path. And this is precisely the commitment that Roche Italia has undertaken with "Circular Research", a campaign that develops through participatory tools aimed at enhancing the role of scientific research in our country and strengthening its recognition as a common good and a strategic lever for innovation.

Despite its internationally recognised excellence, Italia is losing ground in the attractiveness of research investment, slipping behind countries such as Spain, France and Germany. The ALTEMS study on the country's role in global clinical research, based on data and company recruitment information collected between February 2022 and June 2025, points to this situation. In short, in a continental logic, we risk being left behind and, like a cat biting its own tail (again, we can speak of a circular movement, but certainly not a positive one), we risk moving towards a decrease in clinical trials, also due to the local fragmentation of the steps to initiate clinical research. This is likely to result in fewer opportunities for patients to access innovative therapies and, consequently, in a possible impact on health outcomes. But this is not enough. Clinical research generates concrete benefits for the system as a whole, helping to strengthen skills, attracting investment to the area and producing positive economic, employment and organisational spin-offs for research centres and healthcare facilities.

The Group has one of the strongest pipelines in the industry, with 66 new molecular entities and 107 projects in total. In 2025 alone, R&D expenditure reached CHF 10.4 billion. A path that is also shaped by results: 10 potential new drugs have entered the final stage of development and 12 late-stage clinical trials have already recorded positive results. In Italia, the vision becomes a daily and tangible commitment, with oncohaematology as the primary area and significant investments in neurology, immunology, ophthalmology and in the cardiovascular, renal and metabolic areas. The national portfolio counts 227 active projects of which 155 directly promoted studies, involving more than 4,200 patients, thanks to the collaboration of more than 200 centres. The weight of Real World Evidence is growing, which now accounts for 21% of the Italia portfolio. Support for independent research is also stable, with 72 active studies. But there is room for improvement. "While we try, every day, to respond to health needs, it becomes increasingly crucial to accelerate access to innovation, overcoming or eliminating disparities and inequalities in the territory - points out Stefanos Tsamousis, General Manager Roche Italia. Only by working together with all the stakeholders in the health sector can we make Italia a reference centre for scientific research at an international level".

The ambition is certainly high: Ricerca Circolare aims to become a platform for collaboration, networking and knowledge sharing and, ultimately, 'help us build a better healthcare system for all Italian patients,' Tsamousis recalls. At the heart of the initiative is Ricerca Circolare Magazine, a six-monthly magazine dedicated to analysing the new frontiers of scientific research, with a focus on the social, economic and industrial spin-offs of investments in research. Alongside the magazine, a series of meetings entitled 'Ricerca Circolare Lab', conceived as spaces for multidisciplinary debate, will be held. With the contribution of experts, institutions, patient associations, and citizens, the 'Labs' will bring together research, society, and industry, examining the impact of research throughout the supply chain and its value for the country. There will also be room for entertainment and public involvement with Silvia Bencivelli and Dario Vergassola who will bring 'Medicina Spericolata', a show dedicated to the history of research and experimentation in medicine, to Italian theatres.