Bio Job Blog : Bio Jobs : Biotechnology Jobs : Biopharmaceutical Jobs : Bioscience, Biotech Jobs : Bio Job Blog : Biocareer : Bio-Business Training, Biotechnology Training : Jobs in Biology : Internships in Biology : Internships in Biotechnology

Layoffs at big pharma tend to slow during the summer as most people are on vacation and nobody wants to fire folks when the kids are out of school. However, the failing economy has prompted several companies to abandon tradition and fire people during the summer anyway.

According to the Pharmalot Blog, previously announced layoffs at Merck have been accelerated and approximately 8,000 more employees will lose their jobs in early August. While the layoffs were not unexpected, those affected likely thought that they had more time before being shown the door.

In other news, Elan announced that it was laying off 104 employees at its King of Prussia, PA facility. The layoffs resulted from the sale of Élan’s manufacturing facility to Alkermes for $960 million. The acquisition gives Alkermes a chemical formulation and manufacturing business and a stake in two recently approved drugs; Ampyra for multiple sclerosis and Invega Sustenna a treatment for schizophrenia. The layoffs will occur next month and the facility will be closed in September.

Finally, a recent KPMG LLP survey of top executives of US drug makers indicates that M&A activity will continue to increase over the next several years as pharma companies attempt to offset rising generic competition and waning drug revenues. At present, roughly 70 percent of all medications sold in the US are generics. 

Eighty-three percent of the executives believe that their companies will be buyers or sellers in deals over the next two years. Further, just over half believe that it will take more than two years for the US economy to fully recover.

While M&A activity isn’t a bad thing for some companies, it is typically followed by reorganizations and massive job layoffs which are obviously not good for rank and file employees. Consequently, if I worked for a major pharma or biotechnology company, I would definitely make sure that my CV was up-to-date!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

A new report released by Deloitte LLP entitled “To Friend or Not? New Insights about Social Networks in the Life Sciences Industry” indicates that roughly 65 percent of survey life sciences company professionals say their companies use or plan on using social networks in some capacity at a corporate level. Interestingly, 35 percent of those surveyed have no plans to do so!

Survey respondents say the lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, consumer privacy concerns and a lack of a clearly demonstrated return on investment are the top three hurdles to widespread adoption of social networking platforms.

Even after the FDA guidelines for social networking are issued (who knows when that will be?), more than half (53 percent) of respondents still expect a significant amount of confusion around how life sciences companies can engage with social networks. Forty-six of companies that already use social networking tools will continue to use them but will not increase investment until the FDA provides guidance.

More than one-third of respondents (38 percent) are waiting for the FDA to issue guidance before making any investment. Nearly three in 10 respondents (28 percent) said their companies are waiting to see what ROI other companies get. However, the majority (73 percent) expect the budget allocated for social networking will increase over the next three years.

Additional findings from the report that surveyed marketing/brand management professionals include:

• Approximately 44 percent have an informal strategy for social networking that is not documented and/or fully supported by leadership, while 32 percent have no strategy at all.
• Survey respondents use social networking to disseminate information (51 percent), proactively seek information (42 percent), or to react or respond to pertinent information posted on an online social network (23 percent).
• One in five (20 percent) are indifferent to using social networking.

One of the authors of the study suggested that “Our survey findings demonstrate that the bulk of the use for social networking now is geared largely towards marketing. However, there are additional strategic applications beyond pure marketing still to evolve, such as conducting market research cheaper and faster; working with foundations to mobilize patients; improving peer-to-peer education through cost-effective medical education; determining the right patient reported outcomes; and providing data to help speed-up clinical trials.”

I have long contended that the least likely application of social media in the life sciences industry would be for promotional and marketing purposes. While this previously was a minority position, Jonathan Richmond, who authors the popular social media and marketing blog “Dose of Digital”, finally agreed with me in a recent post, entitled “Social Media is Not for Advertising Pharma Brands.”

Unfortunately, much of the early conversations surrounding the use of social media in the life sciences industry were promulgated by pharmaceutical marketing consultants and product brand managers. The early emphasis on promotional use caused many pharma executives to head for their command bunkers at the mere mention of social media (mainly because of its possible regulatory implications). Luckily, less financially-motivated persons began to join the conversation and successfully floated ideas about less regulatory risky uses of social media. Interestingly, the promotional use of social media in the life sciences industry is no longer the main topic of conversations at most pharma and social media conferences these days.

It appears that most life sciences companies are willing to concede that social media is not a fad and not going away anytime soon. As the old adage goes “You gotta be in it to win it.”

Until next time...

Good Lucking and Good Surfing!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Professor Vincent Racaniello, a BioCrowd co-founder and virologist who studies the pathogenesis of polio and influenza viruses commented that there will likely be two influenza vaccines offered this fall: a trivalent vaccine consisting of seasonal H3N2 and H1N1 strains and an influenza B strain; and a monovalent one consisting of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain.

He posited an interesting question to BioCrowd members earlier today: "Will you be receiving a flu vaccine this fall, and if so, which one?"

To weigh in on the topic and find out which vaccines makes sense for you, check out Professor Racaniello’s influenza vaccine survey and discussion at BioCrowd!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Networking @ BioCrowd!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

I have been accumulating anecdotal information about companies,organizations and institutions that use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter YouTube etc.  I decided to attempt to conduct an informal survey  to determine whether or not the life sciences sector is adopting and embracing social media to meet its objectives (whatever they may be). 

To that end, I constructed a Google Docs spread sheet to collect information for the survey.  Please take a look at the survey and fill in the requested information. I will publish the results of the survey if enough people response to this request.

I look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible. Don't be shy, everything is anonymous!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Tweeting!!!!!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link