Pharmaceutical Executive-11-01-2006

When novartis had a look at its recent M&A activity, it found something unsettling: 70 percent of the deals it had done between 1996 and 2004 hadn't delivered their expected value to shareholders. Many other Big Pharmas are saddled with the same problem: The traditional pharmaceutical business model, by which prescription drug makers scoop up assets or companies similar to their own, is going nowhere fast.

Critics of the pharma industry have gotten good at selective reporting. So good, I've started tuning out. But, with a public official pulling similar punches, my ears can't help but perk up.

The ability to customize small molecules-to make them better, safer, and easier to use-has long been a staple of pharmaceutical development. But until recently, scientists had few options for enhancing biologics. San Diego-based Ambrx wants to change that.

Realistic emotions in campaigns create the kind of conversation a woman would have with a close friend.

When Arthur Higgins first announced that he was about to take the reins of the healthcare group at Bayer, in 2004, colleagues were surprised.

From hedge clippers to balancing elephants, the 20th annual Rx Club Awards honored a display of ads featuring the most creative concepts from around the world.

Long turnaround on ad reviews adds new complications to the process of developing marketing plans.

Clinical researchers cannot reliably use many of today's electronic health records because of the variability among collection systems.

When one company purchases another's branded trademarks as keyword search terms, the goal is to lure consumers to the buyer's site.

The Deficit Reduction Act was designed to save the government money on Medicaid. But it also has the potential to change the very way pharma companies conduct business-if they can just figure it out.

The US Department of Justice thinks that "Average Wholesale Price" should mean just what the words say-no more, no less. Why? It's never meant that before.

Hospitals don't want straight-up advertising. If a branded program is going to be integrated into a health-education or health-services platform that's offered directly to a patient's room, it needs to have objective value.

Noncompliance causes 125,000 deaths and more than $100 billion in increased healthcare expenses.