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Helping science to succeed: improving processes in R&D.

Andreas Sewing¹, Toby Winchester, Pauline Carnell

¹Exploratory Medicinal Science, Pfizer Global Research and Development, IPC 654, United Kingdom. Andreas.Sewing@sandwich.pfizer.com

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|March 18, 2008

Summary

Drug discovery is unpredictable and expensive. Applying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) principles from other industries can industrialize pharmaceutical R&D, improving execution and reducing costs without major investment.

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Area of Science:

Pharmaceutical R&D
Drug Discovery
Process Improvement

Background:

Drug development is a costly and unpredictable process.
Current drug discovery relies heavily on serendipity due to incomplete scientific understanding.
Pharmaceutical R&D faces challenges common to other industries.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the application of industrial best practices in pharmaceutical R&D.
To identify methods for improving the execution and predictability of drug discovery.
To propose the adoption of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) for pharmaceutical R&D operations.

Main Methods:

Analysis of challenges in pharmaceutical R&D.
Benchmarking against successful industrial practices.
Evaluation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies for R&D.

Main Results:

Excellence in execution is a key factor in successful drug discovery.
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) can be applied to pharmaceutical R&D to enhance operations.
Industrialization of R&D beyond automation is achievable.

Conclusions:

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) offers a framework to transform pharmaceutical R&D operations.
Adopting LSS can lead to more predictable and cost-effective drug development.
Pharmaceutical R&D can benefit from cross-industry best practices for improved outcomes.