Ways to Successful Strategies in Drug Research and Development was written as a guide to strategic planning in the pharmaceutical industry. It was designed as an interdisciplinary work combining the expertise of the three authors: a medical doctor, an ethicist, and an expert in the field of organizational behavior. Long-term planning is discussed with respect to project selection, organizational structure, management techniques, and ethical obligations to patients, animals, and the environment. Though some of the chapters in the middle of the book provide specific, useful methods for strategic planning, this information is obscured in a confusing milieu of superficial ethical theory and political commentary. The perspective of the author(s) varies from chapter to chapter, as does the intended audience. All combined, these features make the book difficult to follow.

Inconsistency is a major problem. The chapters dealing with strategic planning are written for persons in the pharmaceutical industry (highly technical concepts, business jargon). These are intermingled with chapters concerning ethical principles and arguments in support of procedures intrinsic to drug development, such as animal testing. As an example, Chapter X painstakingly describes the process and procedures for conducting clinical trials. Such information is common knowledge for those in the drug industry and health care professions. Apparently this chapter was written for the general public.

It is difficult to determine the perspective of the author, which seemingly varies from chapter to chapter. Though the use of European currency is intermingled with quotes in U.S. dollars, the uncertainty is especially disturbing in chapters dealing with social, political, and ethical issues (Chapters II, IX, and X). There are references to government regulation or interference and public opinion, but it is unclear whether the comments pertain to Europe or the United States.

The book contains useful information and advice for strategic planning. The main tenet is that innovation is the most probable means to success in the pharmaceutical industry, stated explicitly by the comment that the major if not the only goal of drug R&D must be innovation. This idea is supported by data scattered throughout the book. For example, in Chapter I it is reported that 70% of globalized drugs are innovative. "Globalized" refers to drugs that are registered in at least 6 of the world's 7 leading markets, but the term is not defined until Chapter IX. Biopharmaceuticals (Chapter IV) are considered to be innovative, and the authors advise their development in preference to new chemical entities (NCE, traditional small organic molecules?), owing to statistical evidence for a more favorable success rate in bringing such products to market.

Strategic planning is discussed with respect to corporate goals (Chapters IV and VI) and the evaluation of individual projects. Suggestions are given to limit the risk associated with corporate strategies (proper choice of technology, continual reevaluation, multiple goals, strategic partnerships), and specific criteria are outlined (Chapter III) to compare projects for purposes of resource allocation. As implied by the nonsequential chapter numbers, presentation of the information described above is not cohesive.

The organizational and interpersonal aspects of strategic planning are addressed in well-written chapters about organizational theory (Chapter V), leadership theory (Chapter VII), and management style (Chapter VIII). Each of these areas deals with people and interpersonal interactions; grouping these chapters together might have been more effective.

This book makes excessive use of charts and figures-to the point of distraction. The text is 240 pages in length, and contains 170 figures, many of which are redundant with the text. The work has the appearance of a merger between a manuscript and an oral presentation of identical material. Some figures, especially those contained in Chapter I, either are not explained (Fig. I/1), contain undefined acronyms (Fig. I/2), or present data of undefined origin (Fig. I/5).

In summary, this book contains information about strategic planning that would be valuable for those in the pharmaceutical industry, but the lack of organization and the presence of superfluous information diminish its readability.