INTRODUCTION TO A BLOG

The pharmaceutical industry has always been an industry experiencing change, but what is unusual about the current environment is that so much change is occurring simultaneously, and all of it appears to threaten the future of the industry. Permitting generic importation in the absence of a compulsory license, outcomes-based drug approval and reimbursement, automatic generic substitution, ten-fold drug safety margins at the start of clinical research, the absence of effective venture funding for early stage companies, and the fact that the top 10 pharmaceutical companies appear to have weak pipelines – all combine to paint a dire view of the next few years in this industry. And I haven’t started to mention managed care and Medicare impact on profitability in the profit power house US market.

In this blog I want to start conversations about these and many other issues facing our industry. Using analysis and interpretation of the news of the day, trends seen over the years and insights drawn from exposure to many of the extraordinary people in our industry, I hope to develop thoughts and ideas that will encourage us to find ways to help meet these multitude challenges.