Leadership & People 2004

• Cardinal slashes jobs in restructuring
  Drug distribution and pharmaceutical technology firm Cardinal Health has added detail to its previously announced restructuring initiative with the news that it plans to cut 4,200 jobs and close 25 facilities around the world.
  read more >>
  
  
• Merck raises staff cuts to 5,100
  Merck & Co, still reeling from the impact of pulling its painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market, is to slash its staff by 5,100 positions in a bid to save hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of the year.
  read more >>
  
  
• People on the move
  Dow Chemical?s president and chief operating officer Andrew Liveris has been appointed chief executive of the company, replacing William Stavropoulos who remains chairman. Liveris joined Dow in 1976 and has served in manufacturing, sales, marketing, new business development and management positions.
  read more >>
  
  
• Breaking through the glass ceiling
  Boardrooms have traditionally been male dominated but the tide is slowly starting to change with the fairer sex making strong progress in the pharma industry.
  read more >>
  
  
• Pharma reps calling it quits in record numbers
  According to a recent study by Hay Group, an organizational and human resources consulting firm, pharmaceutical and biotech sales reps left their jobs in record-setting numbers last year.
  read more >>
  
  
• Rexam chief canned after 5 months
  Rexam, which makes pharmaceutical packaging and is also the world?s largest manufacturer of aluminium cans, has sacked chief executive Stefan Angwald after just five months on the job.
  read more >>
  
  
• Developing people developing drugs
  What distinguishes pharma research and development from other high-tech industries? It is an oddity of pharma research R&D that, despite it being very high-tech, it is extremely labour-intensive. - By Les Rose
  read more >>
  
  
• It's war (and healthcare costs) between Bush and Kerry
  The future of America's healthcare system and the high price of prescription medicines remain two of the key issues for the country's voters as the presidential election enters its final stages. The latest opinion polls put President Bush six points ahead of Senator John Kerry, with just weeks to go before election day on 2 November, but so-called 'swing States' could still provide an upset.
  read more >>
  
  
• Industry thought leaders critical to marketing success
  According to a recent report from Cutting Edge Information (www.CuttingEdgeInfo.com), pharmaceutical companies have increased investments in medical liaison programs over the last decade to create a crucial link with industry thought leaders. Medical science liaisons (MSLs), while able to effectively communicate with key influencing physicians, also play a crucial role in communicating with brand teams.
  read more >>
  
  
• Execs excuses getting more creative
  More and more corporate execs are coming up with imaginative, irrelevant or just plain ridiculous excuses for disappointing earnings reports. Call it the dog-ate-my-homework syndrome.
  read more >>
  
  
• Awards Night for the Pharmaceutical Industry
  Aventis, Novartis, and Pfizer grabbed the spotlight as the pharmaceutical industry patted itself on the back at the Third Annual Pharmaceutical Achievement Awards held Sunday evening.
  read more >>
  
  
• Jobs 'endangered' by animal activists
  The reality of the violence of some UK animal activists became apparent after GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Europes?s biggest drug maker, warned that investment and jobs would be driven out of the country by their actions.
  read more >>
  
  
• Knowledge worker productivity ? a important new management trend
  According to a recent report from Accenture, measuring and improving the performance of information and knowledge workers is becoming top priority for many business leaders. With a focus among high-performance businesses on creating decision-making structures and processes to quickly transform insights into productive action, the group said the concerns over the efficiency of information workers makes sense.
  read more >>
  
  
• Alcon's Sear to retire as president/CEO
  Alcon, Inc. the world's largest eye-care products maker, said on Monday that Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Sear will retire as president and chief executive effective Oct. 1.
  read more >>
  
  
• Bayer Says It Will Reduce Number of Cuts
  Drug and chemical maker Bayer AG will reduce the number of job cuts planned for this year and next to 3,000 instead of 4,000, the company said Monday.
  read more >>
  
  
• Increasing the ROI of Pharma Sales Training
  Productivity gains are being hailed as the new elixir in the American economy, but how can measurable productivity gains be realized within your far flung, self-managed and remote pharmaceutical sales force?
  read more >>
  
  
• Knowledge Worker Productivity a new trend
  According to a recent report from Accenture, measuring and improving the performance of information and knowledge workers is becoming top priority for many business leaders. With a focus among high-performance businesses on creating decision-making structures and processes to quickly transform insights into productive action, the group said the concerns over the efficiency of information workers makes sense.
  read more >>
  
  
• Bone Care names pharma industry veteran new chairman
  Middleton-based pharmaceutical firm Bone Care International Inc. today announced that Herbert J. Conrad has been appointed chairman of its board of directors, succeeding founder Richard B. Mazess, who will remain on the board.
  read more >>
  
  
• NOBEX Announces Personnel Changes to Support Drug Pipeline Advancements
  NOBEX, a drug development company specializing in drug delivery, announced today that Russell M. Savre has recently accepted the position of Vice President of Finance and Administration.
  read more >>
  
  
• Bradley Pharmaceuticals Adds Three Executives
  Bradley Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the addition of three experienced executives: John Knoop, Executive Vice President, General Manager of the Kenwood Therapeutics division; Sarita Felder, Vice President, Creative Services of Bradley Pharmaceuticals; and Robert Jones, Director of Sales, Kenwood Therapeutics.
  read more >>
  
  
• J&J President, Vice Chairman Retiring
  After 28 years with health-care giant Johnson & Johnson, president and vice chairman James T. Lenehan is retiring.
  read more >>
  
  
• Company talent being turned off by bad management
  Firms need to get to grips with talent management, suggests a new survey, as a majority of high achievers admit to having their talent quashed by bad managers forcing them to leave.
  read more >>