Leading R&D in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Abstract

We need new ways to communicate, new ways to make decisions, and new ways to determine which part of this rapidly changing scientific frontier our organizations should explore. The New Millennium arrived early in pharmaceutical industry! Recent developments in molecular genetics, combinatorial chemistry and recombinant DNA technology have opened a research frontier so broad and so promising that every pharmaceutical firm in world is being forced to reconsider way it conducts research and development. Indeed, every research university and government agency that wants to stay in touch with this intellectual frontier is also experiencing an unprecedented torrent of changes in basic sciences and technologies that provide underpinning for pharmaceutical innovation. As scientists rush to map estimated 100,000 genes that make up human genome, they are generating useful information at a pace never experienced in medical sciences. So rapid is expansion through genomics of potentially useful data base that it has given rise to an entirely new field, bioinformatics, and new technologies to process and sift out most important aspects of this great rush of information. There are two institutional indicators of magnitude of change: one is rapid growth of small companies dedicated to developing specialized technological platforms for processing genetic and biochemical data; other is rapid development of a complex network of alliances between established pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology companies and other firms focused on these emerging technologies in life sciences. Strong and engaging leadership in biomedical research is needed more than ever. And it is needed in all three of sectors of biomedical research enterprisepublic, non-profit, and for-profit-to sustain U.S. leadership in health care through innovation in drug discovery and development. This kind of leadership and cooperation will be needed for many decades to come if we are to convert abundance of opportunities provided by science and technology into therapies and preventive medicines society deserves. Bear in mind that what we know today-a relatively modest number of biological targets for drug discovery-is only a small fraction of what we will know in decades ahead as task of sequencing human genome nears completion. Solid Grasp of Basic Science Let me be more specific about kind of R&D leadership we are going to need in private sector of pharmaceutical R&D. In rush to take advantage of new opportunities, it will be tempting and sometimes very profitable to short-change personnel and capabilities in basic science. Just by relaxing, by not fighting for resources and building intellectual capacity needed to stay abreast of most recent breakthroughs, R&D organizations can quickly lose touch with cutting-edge science. Everything we do in pharmaceutical industry is applied in sense that our goal is to develop and deliver specific drugs and vaccines. But in order to do that successfully over long term, we need kind of leaders and researchers who have a solid grasp of basic biomedical sciences. They need that kind of understanding in order to make decisions-crucial decisions-about R&D resources and personnel that they are going to be making. We need that kind of talent and leadership for research-based pharmaceutical industry to remain globally competitive. I have heard a great deal in recent years about something called the virtual corporation, which musters whatever capabilities it needs from outside sources. Certainly all of world's innovative pharmaceutical firms today are looking outside of their organization for specialized technical skills. At Merck Research Laboratories, we have developed creative relationships with a number of other firms, some small biotechs and other large, well-established companies. …