How To Keep Employed In A Changing Biotech Workplace

By K. John Morrow Jr., Ph.D.

According to Dr. Sheila Connelly, our industry’s plethora of mergers and acquisitions ensures one thing — job security isn’t what is used to be in biopharma. Having worked for Big Pharma, academia, small biotechs, and for herself, she’s been through many of the common trials associated with M&As, while at the same time, dealing with the challenges of discovering new drugs.

Eliminating highly paid directors and other top-level positions as a strategy to save money? Check. A new top executive takes over and replaces the “old regime” with their own people in order to “make their mark” on the company? Check. A small, preclinical, growth-oriented company with cutting-edge R&D struggles due to a lack of resources to carry a project into the clinic? Check. A large pharma company eliminates a whole program because it is determined not to be profitable? Check.