Big Pharma: The Emperor’s New Clothes
The old clothes have served their time well. The Emperor now needs to take them off, place them aside with due respect and be naked. So that he can put on new clothes that serve the present and the future to come.
I am passionate about what the Pharma industry stands for at its heart; just like a vast majority of a world population, that has chosen to be attached to this industry for its meaning, purpose and livelihood.
There is a fundamental flaw in the thought that governs the present of the Big Pharma today; that prevents this vast majority from accessing the continuum of this passion of the Big Pharma, into the decades of 2015-25 and beyond.
This flaw is in the collective sub-conscious of the current Big Pharma leadership that defines its existence and meaning through its deep and life-long; emotional, financial and beyond investments in the old model of Big Pharma R&D and business, which has served its time well; but is now slipping out of its fingers like sand.
The current Big Pharma leadership has a self-serving bias to hold onto the old Big Pharma model of R&D and business of the yesteryears.
Hence we hear it speak about the ‘dying model of Big Pharma business’, ‘end of the block-buster model’, ‘burning platform theory’ etc. And even when they do talk about the future, it is mere lip-service; in reality all efforts are still focused on mere incremental solutions for the old models. Their current effort is defeated by the classic bootstrap paradox.
We don’t hear this leadership use the language of a ‘new era’, ‘a new beginning’, ‘a rising dawn (if you may)’; for the Pharma industry of 2015-25 and beyond.
Because the vested interest and field of vision of the current generation of retiring leadership is limited by the past that defines its existence; and has little real interest connected with the Pharma industry beyond its retirement.
It is the next generation of leadership, for whom the decades of 2015-25 and beyond will be the definition of their existence, meaning and purpose; that will use the language of a ‘new beginning’ for the Pharma industry.
It is time the old leadership gracefully hands over the baton to the new and takes its place as a wise mentor, advisor for the next generation of leaders.
The heart and soul of the Pharma industry continues to live on, stronger. The time is here, not for the end of the Pharma industry, but the end of the minds and thoughts that defined the old and fading models of R&D and business.
It is also time for a new generation of leadership, a new mind that is already busy visualizing, imagining and creating a vision for a new beginning for the Pharma industry of the future decades of 2015-25 and beyond; and a mind that has a healthy amount of disrespect for the current models of R&D and business.
The Emperor needs to shed off its old clothes that have served their time well, and accept his nakedness. So that he can put on new clothes that match the ‘times they are a changing’ of today and tomorrow.
