Transforming Big Pharma: Assessing the Strategic Alternatives

In Transforming Big Pharma John Ansell addresses critically how strategy works in the pharmaceutical industry. The long-standing dearth of new products has led to a growing shortfall in revenues. Ansell assesses the wide range of alternative strategies big pharma companies have been pursuing in recent years in attempting to overcome this. He shows that there is sound evidence to expect the recent upturn in the number of new products reaching the market to go on to greater heights. Chapters assess the complex trends in attrition rates, show how rife spectacular sales underestimation in the industry remains, and explain how conventional wisdom on the chances of product profitability also seriously undersells the industry. The surest route to transforming the prospects for big pharma, Ansell contends, is to step up activity in acquiring and developing new products. This is now realistic because, as he shows, the amount of intellectual property available is much greater than it was a decade ago. Ansell believes that no other strategies have sufficient transformative powers, though they may be useful as a stopgap whilst the sales of forthcoming new products mature. He argues for a reversal of big pharmas recent cutbacks in R&D and licensing, and re-focussing on new product development. Transforming Big Pharma is intended for those in senior and middle management in the pharmaceutical industry. It will also be valuable to students, as well as to all those dealing with the industry, including biotech companies and those providing services and products to the pharmaceutical industry.