Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Why is it hard to terminate failing projects in pharmaceutical R&D?

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 14, pages 663–664 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

'Quick-kill' strategies in pharmaceutical research and development aim to reduce late-stage attrition by bringing project termination decisions forward, to an earlier point in the process. How can the barriers to implementing such strategies be overcome?

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Paul, S. M. et al. How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry's grand challenge. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 9, 203–214 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Owens, P. K. et al. A decade of innovation in pharmaceutical R&D: the Chorus model. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 14, 17–28 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cook, D. et al. Lessons learned from the fate of AstraZeneca's drug pipeline: a five-dimensional framework. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 13, 419–431 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lendrem, D. W. et al. Progression-seeking bias and rational optimism in research and development. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 14, 219–221 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Peck, R. W. Driving earlier clinical attrition: if you want to find the needle, burn down the haystack. Considerations for biomarker development. Drug Discov. Today 12, 289–294 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank G. Cordes, who first preached 'The Will to Kill'. D.W.L. and J.D.I. were supported by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre based at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the UK Department of Health, F. Hoffmann la Roche, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis or any of the pharmaceutical companies for which the authors have worked or consulted.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Research & Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Centre, Welwyn, AL7 1TW, UK

    Richard W. Peck

  2. Institute of Cellular Medicine, Framlington Place, Newcastle University, NE2 4HH, UK

    Dennis W. Lendrem, B. Clare Lendrem & John D. Isaacs

  3. Phruitful Consulting, Newcastle, NE1 7RD, UK

    Iain Grant

Authors
  1. Richard W. Peck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dennis W. Lendrem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Iain Grant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. B. Clare Lendrem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. John D. Isaacs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis W. Lendrem.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Richard W. Peck is a full-time employee of Roche Products Ltd, holds shares and options with F. Hoffman La Roche and holds shares in Eli Lilly & Co. Ltd. Dennis W. Lendrem and Iain Grant have prior consulting interests with a number of pharmaceutical companies. B. Clare Lendrem and John D. Isaacs have no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Peck, R., Lendrem, D., Grant, I. et al. Why is it hard to terminate failing projects in pharmaceutical R&D?. Nat Rev Drug Discov 14, 663–664 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4725

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4725

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research