Lilly explains accelerated development goals

The changes being contemplated by Eli Lilly and Co.'s management, if the company can pull them off, should be a plus for Lilly's current and future biotech partners. The company said last week that it hopes to cut by up to 50 percent the time it takes between the beginning of the formal drug development process and the launch of products in two-third of the world's markets.

In a conversation with BioCentury, Vice President of Pharmaceutical Business Development David Thompson said that timing is the key to reaching Lilly's goal. "The thesis is to do only those things you need to do to make the next important decision," said Thompson. "The industry has tended to do a lot of things early, but 90 percent of drugs don't make it. For example, do I really need a tablet or a pill to test early efficacy? What if I just make a simple solution?"...