David Pyott Offers His Lessons From The Allergan-Valeant War.

Less than two weeks into Jesper Høiland’s new role as president of Novo Nordisk Inc. USA, the unthinkable happened.

What will be the consequences should more investors such as Martin Shkreli and Kyle Bass decide they want to play biopharma CEO for a day?

Unfortunately, a minor mechanical issue involving one of my flights caused me to arrive a day late for the 34^th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPM) in San Francisco (January 11-14). While missing Monday at one of biopharma’s biggest annual events translates to a huge lost opportunity, when it comes to JPM, one day does not a conference make.

Merck’s Julie Gerberding says it’s not just about the application of CSR initiatives, but finding common ground for what both business and society value.

There are plenty of industry insights available, such as Life Science Leader’s comprehensive December 2015 Outlook issue for 2016 or our four-part trendsetter series. And while these provide a wealth of insight, I felt compelled to put together one last blog to prevent you from being blindsided by the “Next Big Thing” in biopharma in 2016.

I once had the opportunity to see Norman Schwarzkopf speak in person. It was a powerful experience, occurring shortly after the four-star general had retired from the United States Army.

If you have ever seen an employee of Johnson and Johnson speak, you probably recall that at some point during their presentation they probably made reference to “Our Credo” — a J&J document that describes the values used to guide employee decision making. “Put simply, Our Credo challenges us to put the needs and well-being of the people we serve first.” Written in 1943 by Robert Wood Johnson, former chairman and a member of the company’s founding family, it remains one of the earliest statements of corporate social responsibility. While some have called the J&J credo a model for corporate America, others have suggested that current CEO Alex Gorsky consider taking a sledgehammer to the credo that is “emblazoned on an imposing stone structure at the entrance to its headquarters.” But before anyone considers destroying it, I think everyone should take the time to read and compare it to the philosophy being used to shepherd your organization.

Last week I posted “Why The Wall Street Journal’s U.S. Drug Price Comparison Misses The Mark,” a criticism of health and science deputy bureau chief Jeanne Whalen’s Dec. 1, 2015 article titled, “U.S. Drug Prices Dwarf Other Nations.” What bothered me about this article was that I felt it skewed the facts, sensationalized the issue, and seemed intent on stirring up controversy.