Managing research scientists cannot be too heavy handed with the same control mechanisms in place that one uses for development of products. Medical product development and marketing activities can be more tightly planned and controlled than that of discovery.
Good, fast, cheap. Choose any two. You can rarely ever have all three.
If you want it good and fast, it won’t be cheap.
If you want it good and cheap, it won’t be fast.
If you want it fast and cheap, it won’t be good.
Good data in a few patients are a far better basis to make a decision on, than mediocre data in many patients. This principle is often ignored by those who collect a great deal of uncontrolled data rather than collecting less data from a well-controlled trial.
Bert Spilker, PhD, MD is an independent consultant who was most recently the Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for PhRMA. He is the founder of Bert Spilker & Associates (BS&A).
