How would you characterize the current state of research and development (R&D) in the biopharma industries?
Glenn Bilawsky: What we are seeing across the industry is a higher level of scrutiny around prioritization and budget expenditures to support R&D. Also, decisions are being made more rapidly relative to either product investment or product divestiture. The industry was very dynamic in 2008, and I see that extending into 2009 and 2010 due to economic pressures. InLine: What is a specific challenge that you think the industry is struggling to overcome at this time? Bilawsky: As always, the biggest challenge for companies is to identify new compounds and biologics for development that have real potential. With the number of new chemical entities and new biologics being approved annually by global regulatory agencies on the decline for years, innovation is an ongoing concern for the industry. InLine: The 2008 Eli Lilly/Covance agreement, whereby Lilly sold an R&D facility to Covance, has been called ‘the largest and most comprehensive outsourcing deal in the CRO industry.’1 Can you explain
