Problem Solving with Solutions ~ The Pharmaceutical Industry!

I will start this post with 2 favorite quotes that I have from Will Rogers the actor, author and humorist from the early 1900’s.  “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today” and “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”.  I have carried these quotes with me as a sales manager in my personal files.  At virtually every meeting that I have conducted, these “pearls of wisdom” have been showcased. They are also framed and hanging in my office. To me, they are constant reminders that if we rest on our laurels, we may not be around to compete in the future.  We need to be constantly alert moving forward and stay abreast of technological advances so we stay a step or two ahead of the competition.  There are many examples of failed businesses that were weakened due to either missed identification of a dilemma or non action on those issues.

In previous blogs we talked about “qualities of leadership” and provided some examples of the top business leaders in the 20^th century.  To a person, they envisioned success.  They knew that every problem had a solution and they were not afraid to venture forth and take some calculated risks.  They also had an innate ability to filter through issues to get to the core root of the problem.  They also did not quit!  There are countless stories of trials that were not successful but these leaders did not “hang it up” after their first or second “solution” did not work. I recently heard a story about the well-known anti-corrosive spray called “WD-40”.  According to the chemist who invented it, Norm Larsen, it was named after “Water Displacement, 40^th attempt”.  The problem was corrosion, the solution was WD-40.  We would not have the product if it was not for the many “solutions” or trials that were done.

 

I was fortunate to spend over 30 years in pharmaceuticals working for two terrific companies. Many people do not understand the research that goes into producing a new prescription product. Although I am not an expert in all the issues, I will try to give you some facts to what the Rx industry faces in bringing a product to market.

The problem in 1900 was Quality of Life. Life expectancy in 1900 was 47 years of age with only 1 of 25 people on average reaching the age of 60.  We are quickly approaching a life expectancy of 80 years of age according to data compiled in 2010.  It is through the relentless approach for discovery that pharmaceutical companies have investigated thousands of molecules to come up with one product.  Once these products begin the clinical phase, it takes over 12 years of study and research to produce a proprietary product. There have been tremendous gains in the past, and we continue to make major advancements in pharmaceuticals and bio-tech products today.  These advances have added considerable quality of life to patients across the world with the goal of many more to come! 

Let’s use the example of research-oriented pharmaceutical companies to problem solve and arrive at good decisions:

• Long-Term Vision ~ As mentioned, once a drug is first discovered, it generally takes 12 years to get it approved.  There are far more products eventually not approved than approved.  It takes a great deal of stamina to sustain effort and dedication to see the drug through to approval.
• Focus ~ The work to get a medication approved requires teamwork amongst a very diverse group of experts.  Each of the team members have very diverse backgrounds.  For example, scientists typically have a peripheral mind-set that are interesting in an academic sense but have little importance for approving a drug.  A “laser-target” focus is required to get the scientific mind alert to the required information that the advisory boards need. Likewise, the manufacturing component has differing viewpoints than the sales professional.  They all need to focus and work together as a team!
• Flexibility ~  In pharmaceuticals the goals are quite clear and the results are often a go/no go scenario.  If a major issue comes up, the total project could be scrapped and the researchers need to move on to the next project.  This requires an incredible amount of resiliency and endurance.
• Team Approach ~ Solving problems in the pharmaceutical industry has changed dramatically over the past 100 years from a “single scientist” to large teams working independently on the same project.  The team approach comes with advantages as we learn from each other and grow together. 
• From the test tube testing to human trials, the need for problem identification and decision making is significant in this and many other  industries.  Teams working together are not only chemists and scientists but engineers & computer specialists. They are joined by PhD level people in math/statistics as well as physicists, physicians, manufacturing, automation, sales, marketing, regulatory and a host of others. 

The pharmaceutical industry has taken on a whole new character with technology and partnering with academia, industry, disease-state institutions as well as state and federal government.   It is the finest example of “problem solving” that I could come up with.  What about you? 

Say good bye to the following from the tremendous gains in the 20^th century!  Life expectancy has nearly doubled from 47 to 80 in the past 100 years.  The Pharmaceutical Industry helped by addressing the problems with Solutions!

1. Chicken Pox
2. Diptheria Invasis
3. H. Flu 
4. Malaria 
5. Measles
6. Pertussis
7. Pneumococcal Disease Polio
8. Tetanus
9. Typhoid
10. Yellow fever 
11. Smallpox