Strategy: Why Big Pharmas Do What They Do -- And How Silicon Valley Might Help Them Think Differently

AstraZeneca’s revitalization strategy, announced this week, follows the same well-worn playbook used by so many in the industry, employing approaches vividly familiar from my consulting days: cut headcount, externalize R&D, focus on select therapeutic areas, push biologics, and explore an interesting flyer (in this case, technology from Moderna, a Cambridge, MA-based company developing novel mRNA therapeutics -- see Luke Timmerman’s recent Xconomy post).