Drug Companies Join Together to Accelerate R&D

Sept. 21, 2012

Each of the ten founding companies will combine financial and other resources, including personnel, with a total of five projects having already been selected for development.

Adrienne Selko

All of the powerhouses of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies have joined together to form TransCelerate BioPharma, as a way to bring new drugs to the market more quickly.

Abbott, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Genentech - a member of the Roche Group, and Sanofi will work together across the global research and development community and share research and solutions that will ‘simplify and accelerate the delivery of exciting new medicines for patients," according to newly appointed interim CEO of TransCelerate, Garry Neil, MD, Partner at Apple Tree Partners and formerly Corporate VP, Science & Technology, Johnson & Johnson.

We aim to reduce bottlenecks in R&D and increase efficiency. This is all about accelerating transformative innovation. We have an obligation to stakeholders to find…new and transformative ways of doing things. We are really working collectively in a way we haven’t done before,” said Neil.

Each of the ten founding companies will combine financial and other resources, including personnel, with a total of five projects having already been selected for development.

“This new non-profit will foster pre-competitive collaboration to improve the drug development success rate,” said Carola Schropp, President of EBD Group.

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor

Focus: Workforce, Talent

Follow Me on Twitter: @ASelkoIW

Bio: Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with the publication and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics and EHS Today.

Editorial mission statement: Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I find manufacturing interesting: On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.