title: Making medicinal chemistry more effective--application of Lean Sigma to improve processes, speed and quality.
abstract: The pharmaceutical industry, particularly the small molecule domain, faces unprecedented challenges of escalating costs, high attrition as well as increasing competitive pressure from other companies and from new treatment modes such as biological products. In other industries, process improvement approaches, such as Lean Sigma, have delivered benefits in speed, quality and cost of delivery. Examining the medicinal chemistry contributions to the iterative improvement process of design-make-test-analyse from a Lean Sigma perspective revealed that major improvements could be made. Thus, the cycle times of synthesis, as well as compound analysis and purification, were reduced dramatically. Improvements focused on team, rather than individual, performance. These new ways of working have consequences for staff engagement, goals, rewards and motivation, which are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medicinal Chemistry, AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal, SE-431 83 Mölndal, Sweden.
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Björe
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bowker
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Donald
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Egner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elebring
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holmqvist
authors.forename: Tord
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inghardt
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Johannesson
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnstone
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kemmitt
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kihlberg
authors.forename: Pernilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korsgren
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lemurell
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Jonas A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pointon
authors.forename: Fritiof
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pontén
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.forename: Nidhal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Selmi
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Whittamore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000592:standards; D011786:Quality Control; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations