2010 Keynote Address
Hamburg At DIA Annual
FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg addresses the DIA meeting in Washington, D.C.
"Contagion" is one of the top films in America just now. It has been bested only by two movies at the box office—one about cartoon lions and another about a maid and her boss. "Contagion" is scary. It's a phlegm-filled tale about an Asian virus that infects the globe in a few days. School's cancelled, millions die. Yes, the National Guard takes over the country, but basically everything turns out fine. Matt Damon and his daughter survive to watch everything on TV. The last thirty minutes of "Contagion" are a sugary, Disney-worthy ending in contrast to this over-the-top British movie about an epidemic. Gwyneth Paltrow's character, a corporate executive, perishes in the first moments of "Contagion." Kate Winslet, playing an epidemiologist, lasts a bit longer. For inexplicable reasons, the movie's biggest male stars are immune to the deadly pig virus. One actor, secure in this gender-based immunity, gives precious, lottery-assigned medicine…more...
Individuals and companies tend to have one arch-villain, one adversary that looms larger than all others. In the pharmaceutical industry, at any given moment, industry veterans might identify the main villain…more...
Earlier this week, JNJ said it will buy the Swiss medical device firm Synthes for $21.3 billion. A debased U.S. dollar isn't worth much these days. Still, 21.3 billion of anything…more...
Have contract research organizations (CRO) turned the corner? Is the current downturn about to pass? Those were the questions we put to Michael Martorelli, director, Fairmount Partners. Martorelli is a savvy…more...
How bad are the job losses in pharma? How long will they last? As a starting point, every month brings new, grim numbers from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago firm that specializes in executive recruiting. Recent Challenger data suggest that, at the moment, the job losses in pharma are intensifying relative to other industries. In 2010,…more...
Is the most time-honored business model in clinical trial outsourcing out of step with our era? Most contract research organizations (CRO) charge on the basis of time and materials. Such companies resemble construction firms that erect skyscrapers. If the design of the skyscraper changes, the builder adjusts its fee. If more steel is needed, that goes on…more...
History records that after her husband was assassinated, someone asked Mrs. Abraham Lincoln about the theatrical production she had just seen. With all deference to Mrs. Lincoln, we are in a similarly stunned state of mind after talking to Kit Howard, principal of Kestrel Consultants. Based in Michigan, with a Canadian's calm demeanor, Howard speaks in methodical,…more...
As the industry scrambles to find the patients it needs outside the U.S., the organizers of the 2010 annual Drug Information Association (DIA) in Washington, D.C. decided to assemble the sort of luminary-packed panel discussions that only the DIA can present. The session on multi-regional trials began with Doug Peddicord, executive director of the Association of Clinical…more...
FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg addresses the DIA meeting in Washington, D.C.
Norman Goldfarb discusses recent industry trends and his upcoming conference in Boston in May.
As the new year begins, some reflections on the biggest clinical trials of the new year.
A productive and independent Florida site works lean and doesn’t apologize for being in business.
The owners of Chiltern are buying MDS Pharma’s six central labs.
Is the industry using conferences and publications correctly, or is it just reinventing things that should more properly be refined?
Icon discusses its philosophy and the roots of its recent success.
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