ABSTRACT
Commonly in big pharma companies, management is constantly seeking the perfect solution to a problem – when in reality no perfect solution exists. When I worked for Glaxo in the late 1980s, the development function was, as is conventional, part of the R&D organization. But not long after I left the company in the 1990s there was a reorganization aimed at reducing the gap between the commercial function and development functions. The commercial function was combined with development, leaving research as a separate part of the organization.
