New or Repurposed: A Novel Classification System for the Horizon Scanning of Innovative Medicines

To our knowledge, there are no standardized classification systems to capture intelligence on new and repurposed innovative medicines that are in clinical development. A multidisciplinary working group undertook literature searching and an iterative, three-stage piloting process to build consensus on a classification system. Supplementary data collection was carried out to facilitate the implementation and validation of the system on the Innovation Observatory’s horizon scanning database, the Medicines Innovation Database (MInD). We created a classification system with six values, informed by issues discovered during the piloting process including patency and regulatory status of medicines and combination therapies. We validated our system through application to over 20,000 technology records on the MInD. Our system provides the opportunity to deliver concise yet informative intelligence to healthcare organizations and those studying the clinical development landscape of medicines.