Big Pharma is in the throes of convulsive change. A spate of multibillion mergers and acquisitions in the past few months is transforming the landscape, with this week's $3.6bn (£2.5bn) takeover of Stiefel by GlaxoSmithKline the latest and certainly not the last.
It's a truism among analysts that this huge restructuring is driven, primarily, by a dearth of new blockbusting drugs in the pipeline of the biggest pharma groups, which are being forced to buy up innovation via smart start-ups and/or generic drugs companies.
But on the day GSK made its latest foray under its new chief Andrew Whitty, Wolfgang Plischke, board member for innovation, technology and environment at Bayer, pointed to a deeper set of trends. Over lunch in the German group's HQ overlooking a Japanese water garden, we discussed a growing public distaste for, nay dislike of, science and a "war for scarce talent" as young people turned their backs on it.
"I don't expect there'll be a change in public opinion in the next five to 10 years," he said.
But echoing the famous aphorism of the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci – "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will" – Plischke, an ultra-lean 57-year-old biologist keen on endurance sports, is convinced the industry – and science – can overcome their poor reputation and image.
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It's a truism among analysts that this huge restructuring is driven, primarily, by a dearth of new blockbusting drugs in the pipeline of the biggest pharma groups, which are being forced to buy up innovation via smart start-ups and/or generic drugs companies.
But on the day GSK made its latest foray under its new chief Andrew Whitty, Wolfgang Plischke, board member for innovation, technology and environment at Bayer, pointed to a deeper set of trends. Over lunch in the German group's HQ overlooking a Japanese water garden, we discussed a growing public distaste for, nay dislike of, science and a "war for scarce talent" as young people turned their backs on it.
"I don't expect there'll be a change in public opinion in the next five to 10 years," he said.
But echoing the famous aphorism of the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci – "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will" – Plischke, an ultra-lean 57-year-old biologist keen on endurance sports, is convinced the industry – and science – can overcome their poor reputation and image.
More
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