Lessons learned from the fate of AstraZeneca's drug pipeline: a five-dimensional framework.
Maintaining research and development (R&D) productivity at a sustainable level is one of the main challenges currently facing the pharmaceutical industry. In this article, we discuss the results of a comprehensive longitudinal review of AstraZeneca's small-molecule drug projects from 2005 to 2010. The analysis allowed us to establish a framework based on the five most important technical determinants of project success and pipeline quality, which we describe as the five 'R's: the right target, the right patient, the right tissue, the right safety and the right commercial potential. A sixth factor - the right culture - is also crucial in encouraging effective decision-making based on these technical determinants. AstraZeneca is currently applying this framework to guide its R&D teams, and although it is too early to demonstrate whether this has improved the company's R&D productivity, we present our data and analysis here in the hope that it may assist the industry overall in addressing this key challenge.
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
David
D
Cook
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
Dearg
D
Brown
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines & Early Development, 141 Portland Street, 10th Floor Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Robert
R
Alexander
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
Ruth
R
March
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
Paul
P
Morgan
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
Gemma
G
Satterthwaite
AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK.
Menelas N
MN
Pangalos
D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000191:economics; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D015195:Drug Design; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000191:economics; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000191:economics; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics
D015507:Drugs, Investigational