Flexion: The In-Licensing Advantage of Cheap Proof-of-Concept

In 2002, Eli Lilly & Co. began to experiment with a radically new process for clinical development: rapid proof-of-concept (POC). It was by no means the first such experiment in the industry, but Lilly has been the only company to stick with it, institutionalizing the ideas in its quasi-independent Chorus division (See "Lilly’s Chorus Experiment," IN VIVO, May 2007 Also see "Lilly's Chorus Experiment" - In Vivo, 1 May, 2007.).

Now Chorus’ two top executives are going out on their own, setting up a Chorus-style competitor called Flexion Therapeutics Inc.[See Deal]