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Lessons from 54 years of pharmaceutical research

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 10, page 963 (2011)Cite this article

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A recent article (Lessons from 60 years of pharmaceutical innovation. Nature Rev. Drug Discov. 8, 959–968 (2009))1 presents a corporate perspective on the reasons why the annual output of new drugs during the past few decades has not increased, despite vast increases in spending on pharmaceutical research and development (R&D). Here, I provide a researcher's perspective on the issue, based on my experience in the industry during this time.

In my view the key cause is the change in the way research and researchers are treated by management. During the five decades I have spent in the industry, the primary goal of research has changed from discovery and social usefulness to making money, and the ruling philosophy today is micromanagement, efficiency and timelines. This is suited to selling automobiles but not to research, which is a creative enterprise.

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References

  1. Munos, B. Lessons from 60 years of pharmaceutical innovation. Nature Rev. Drug Discov. 8, 959–968 (2009).

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  2. Firestone, R. A. Drug giants hamstrung by timid middle management. Nature 44, 282 (2006).

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  3. LaMattina, J. L. The impact of mergers on pharmaceutical R&D. Nature Rev. Drug Discov. 10, 559–560 (2011).

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  1. Raymond A. Firestone is at Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, 900 Ridgebury Road, P.O. Box 368, Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877-0368, USA. raymond.firestone@boehringer-ingelheim.com,

    Raymond A. Firestone

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  1. Raymond A. Firestone
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Firestone, R. Lessons from 54 years of pharmaceutical research. Nat Rev Drug Discov 10, 963 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2961-c1

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