Articles By Rob Wright

1. A Small Biopharma’s View Of Working With CROs 7/21/2020

   Running a clinical-stage oncology biopharma with only five employees means you quickly learn a thing or two about the value of outsourcing services. For Pamela Contag, Ph.D., cofounder and CEO of BioEclipse Therapeutics, those learnings have led to her company using five CROs to get CRX-100, BioEclipse’s lead investigational candidate, through approval.

2. What Is Going To Be The Next Big Thing For Biopharma In 2016? 1/4/2016

   There are plenty of industry insights available, such as Life Science Leader’s comprehensive December 2015 Outlook issue for 2016 or our four-part trendsetter series. And while these provide a wealth of insight, I felt compelled to put together one last blog to prevent you from being blindsided by the “Next Big Thing” in biopharma in 2016.

3. How Can You Provide Healthcare Value In A Patient-Centric Era? 10/1/2015

   Patients have become more empowered, better informed, and more financially invested in their health and well-being than ever before. As a result, we have seen the healthcare landscape evolve toward a patient-centric delivery model.

4. Does Being Disruptively Innovative Translate Into Being More Patient-Centric? 9/25/2015

   Everyone has experienced poor customer service in one form or another. Say you want to call a company with a question or a complaint about a product. You’re likely to be informed by an automated voice that, “Due to the high volume of calls we are currently experiencing, your anticipated wait time will be X minutes.  For faster and more convenient customer service, please visit our website at www.wedon’tcaretospeaktoyou.com.

5. How To Build A Corporate Culture Of Sustainable Innovation 7/27/2015

   Shortly after the April 2015 publication of Guiding Bayer’s Global Innovation Engines To New Heights, an article I wrote featuring Bayer board of management member, Kemal Malik, I received a phone call from Valerie Bowling. The executive director for the Conference Forum and producer of one of my favorite events, Disruptive Innovations to Advance Clinical Trials (DPharm), Bowling said the article sparked an idea.

6. Does Adversity Build Character Or Reveal It? 6/12/2015

   Denice Torres is the president of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Johnson & Johnson company, and winner of HBA’s 2015 WOTY award. Listening to her acceptance speech reminded me of legendary pro football coach Vince Lombardi’s philosophy — “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” 

7. Expect The Unexpected: Daiichi Sankyo’s Glenn Gormley Shares Post Interview Insights 11/3/2014

   I first met Glenn Gormley, M.D., Ph.D., at the 2014 PhRMA’s (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. At the time, I was engaged in a conversation with James (Mit) Spears, EVP and general counsel for PhRMA, and so my discussion with Dr. Gormley was brief. However, our encounter reminded me of an idea I once had for doing an article about Daiichi Sankyo. Though the company has a lengthy history, it had little experience in the area of oncology R&D. As Gormley is the senior executive officer and global head of R&D at Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., as well as chairman of the board, executive chairman and president of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc, I thought perhaps he could share some insight on the company’s approach to entering into the field of developing cancer therapeutics. We conducted our formal interview on June 30, 2014. It resulted in the September 2014 Life Science Leader magazine cover feature — How Daiichi Sankyo Is Venturing Into The Unfamiliar Terrain Of Oncology R&D.

   As is my custom, I provide interviewees with questions in advance to guide our discussion. After an article is published, it is rare for me to revisit these questions. Further, it is unheard of for me to receive legally approved written responses to my interview questions — especially after an article is complete. But with Glenn Gormley, I have come to expect the unexpected. What follows are the previously unpublished written responses to my interview questions, which serve to shed additional insight into Daiichi Sankyo’s approach to entering the field of oncology drug development.  

8. What Can You Learn From The Educational Planning Process Of BIO? 10/3/2014

   In my role as the 2015 co-chair of the BIO International’s educational planning committee, I am privy to what goes into creating one of our industry’s largest annual events. As many of you are involved in organizing your own customer educational programs (e.g., The Emerson Exchange) or have been asked to serve on an event planning committee, I thought a behind the scenes look into how BIO goes about the process would be helpful to your efforts. Here are some of the best business practices I have witnessed thus far.

9. The 7 Habits Of The Highly Effective Pharma And Biopharma Manufacturing Executive 9/24/2014

   While all The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People listed by Stephen Covey remain relevant and timeless, the one which resonates with me most is the seventh — sharpen the saw. In the life sciences industry, Covey’s concept of continuous improvement is more than just a habit, but a way of life. This is especially true for those who work in pharma and biopharma manufacturing — striving to maintain high quality, be on time with delivery, increase productivity (often with fewer resources) and so on. If you work in manufacturing, you are probably tempted to stop reading and get back to work. Though pharma and biopharma manufacturing executives most certainly work long and hard hours, I am sure the manufacturing executives I know would rank working smarter above working harder as a best business practice. Working smarter requires making the time to sharpen your saw. As we are just seven weeks away from a very unique saw sharpening continuous improvement conference for the pharma and biopharma manufacturing executive (Outsourced Pharma West), I thought it a good time to put together a list of the seven habits of the highly effective pharma and biomanufacturing executive — so you can sharpen your saw.

10. J&J’s Approach To Capturing Disruptive Innovation In Clinical Trials 7/1/2014

    In the pharmaceutical industry, gaps often exist between companies and internal working groups. Consider one of the industry’s largest players, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), which has more than 127,000 employees and operates more than 250 companies organized into several business segments in 60 countries.