From The Editor

By Dan Schell, Chief Editor, Clinical Leader

Forget about the economy for a moment. I know that sounds simple, but just humor me. If everything was going smoothly financially, would you be seeking new ways to streamline your operations? Improve quality management? Minimize costs? Sure, you would.

As a top pharma or bio executive, these are all examples of ongoing objectives that probably keep you up at night — no matter what the current economy. In this issue of Life Science Leader we’ve compiled articles that address some of these issues. For instance, on page 24 I explain why executives at GE Healthcare believe biopharmaceutical companies have a great opportunity to eliminate waste, increase productivity, and ultimately slash product time to market by implementing Lean and Six Sigma principles. Or, if you’re one of the many industry execs considering cutting costs by offshoring clinical trials, turn to page 26 and read Mike Anello’s article for some valuable insight as to why China has become a leading site for these services. There are also some very interesting insights from executives at Novartis, PhRMA, Sparta Systems, and Thermo Fisher, just to name a few. In fact, this kind of educational and compelling editorial is what you can expect every month in Life Science Leader. We’re always seeking to interview key players throughout the ‘life cycle’ of the life sciences industry in an effort to bring you actionable information to use in your business.

And don’t forget; this is your magazine, so tell us what you would like to read about or what you’re tired of hearing about — like the bad economy. Shoot me an email, and perhaps you could be one of the next ‘life science leaders’ we interview.