The end of the War for Talent? December 31, 2008

The proverbial War for Talent has reached a ceasefire as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, diagnostic and medical product companies tighten their budgets & re-evaluate their headcount goals for 2009.
As most CEO’s are chirping on CNBC, the life sciences industry is more resilient than others in this economy…yet no one is immune to the environment in which [...]

The perfect holiday gift… December 23, 2008

Having a difficult time with those co-workers on your list this holiday season? For your colleague/boss who just can’t get enough of the industry, what better gift to offer than a documented history of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Released just weeks ago after five years (?) [...]

FDA Report Card for 2008 December 22, 2008

Bowing to the pressures of the industry, the FDA will approve a greater number of drugs in 2008 compared to a year ago. At this point, it looks like the number will stick with 21 NME’s this calendar year.
Even with this improvement, the agency will have missed review deadlines on more than 10 other drugs [...]

The latest from Whitehouse Station December 15, 2008

Following on the heels of a few other NJ-based life sciences companies, Merck held their annual investor conference last week. Among the highlights was CNBC’s interview with Kevin Frazier, President of Global Human Health. Mr. Fraser is the highest ranking diversity executive in Big Pharma and has been tapped as a strong candidate [...]

“We’re not recession proof” December 12, 2008

Eli Lilly’s CEO, John Leichleiter, speaks about the economy, healthcare reform, & Lilly’s lowered expectations for 2009…but also makes a bold statement about the state of the industry.
For those after even more, in a follow on interview with CNBC, he talks about Lilly’s pipeline and the much anticipated arrival of Byetta [...]

The debate over DTC advertising December 12, 2008

One cannot watch the primetime schedule on any major broadcast or cable network without being subject to some form of DTC advertising from the healthcare products industry. 

Since the FDA allowed for more open promotions of drugs at the end of last decade, the DTC strategy of our industry has been awash [...]

RSNA & the Medical Equipment Sector December 10, 2008

The annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) concluded just days ago in Chicago.
Attendance this year was down from last year, but only slightly. Still, the conference remains one of the healthcare industry’s largest gatherings with over 50,000 attendees and half a million square feet of exhibit space.

The [...]

A Talent Freeze? December 9, 2008

The global credit crisis has brought about another casualty: the talent freeze.
Simply put, what we are seeing across the life sciences industry is an impossible recruiting environment, especially for management-level talent. Companies have put senior positions, normally earmarked for immediate recruitment, on hold. Openings are being gapped to save expense and limit short term [...]

When will the downturn…turn? December 8, 2008

It’s the question on so many people’s minds, and it’s likely to be the hottest topic of the new year.
At Beaker, we’re not big on predictions, but we can help you draw some conclusions. And, with all the companies we work with, we’ve seen some patterns in the past several weeks. Without question, most [...]

The next FDA Commissioner December 5, 2008

Many people have invested time recently trying to predict the future leadership of the FDA following the Obama transition and the inevitable departure of Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach. Without making an argument, it seems the most likely finalists will be: Steve Nissen, from Cleveland Clinic; Janet Woodcock, current FDA Director at CDER; or, Mike [...]