Canary in the Coalmine: Pfizer R&D

In an interview, Pfizer's head of R&D, John LaMattina, discusses R&D's position as the part of the company most vulnerable to cuts in response to weakening sales. Among other issues, LaMattina discusses Pfizer's increasing interest in large molecules, specialist markets and combination products, and the role external research will play in filling a pipeline facing significant near-term generic pressures. He also details Pfizer's advantages of scale, particularly in developing portfolios of products in individual disease areas for sale to major customers interested in large discounted, disease-managed product packages.