How to conduct research in the pharmaceutical industry? Facing the dilemma: small, autonomous teams versus large, integrated centers

Abstract

The million dollar question in the pharmaceutical industry today is: how can better productivity be ensured which guarantees that a higher number of valuable medicines are made available to meet patients' needs? The current productivity crisis we are facing is not new; on the contrary, historical data tracing back to the early 1950s show that in spite of our access to much more advanced technologies and understanding of disease mechanisms in combination with the huge efforts that are invested (> $70 billion/annum across the entire pharma business), the output in terms of new drugs is disappointingly low (a total of only 51 new chemical entities globally in 2009). With this challenging state in mind, there are major initiatives underway aiming at defining new organizational models, ways of working, strategies, development concepts and so on to improve the situation and turn the wheel around to take the industry towards a more prosperous future. A key question that has often been asked in this context is whether small teams in charge of R&D activities will perform more efficiently than an organization of an opposite character operating in a large and centralized structure? Whilst the general trend is probably leaning more towards the former, if nothing else than driven by the pronounced downsizing that currently is the prevailing direction, it is crucial not to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach but rather to address the specific needs in a given setting and design tailor-made solutions that stand a chance of being successful.

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