What Do You Consider To Be A Failure?

FAILURE, IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM, IS NOT TRYING. Beyond this, however, there are other pitfalls that can lead to failure, though even these can be avoided if we approach research in a mindful way. With the average cost of drug development estimated at more than $2.5 billion and the success rate from clinic to approval around 12%, it is clear that failure is: 1) not asking the right biological questions on the significance of the target, 2) not leveraging our decades of knowledge to optimally design the right compound, 3) not integrating genomic and phenotypic data to select the right patients, and 4) not designing the right clinical trial to address the unmet need. Failure is also neglecting opportunities to collaborate with the best minds in the world to bring effective options to patients more quickly. So, while experimentation is crucial, failing to learn from past failures in our approach to research can be a critical mistake.

CHANDRA RAMANATHAN, PH.D., is the VP and head of Bayer-AG’s U.S. east coast innovation center.