Strategic R&D cuts have been a high priority for many pharma companies lately, from Moderna slashing R&D by 20% and discontinuing five clinical programs to Incyte eliminating several pipeline programs after a “strategic review.”
Although reevaluating and deemphasizing clinical programs is nothing new in biopharma, signs point to it being more widespread than a handful of companies doing business as usual. Analysts point to Charles River Laboratories’ staffing cuts and site closures as a sign of a decrease in demand for drug development services and a bellwether for the industry as a whole.
For the R&D programs that survive, the goal is to make them more efficient and cost effective than ever.
“There’s huge spend there,” said Bill Coyle, global head of biopharma at ZS, a healthcare consulting firm.
R&D efficiencies…