When Richard Weaver joined AstraZeneca R&D in Charnwood, Leicestershire in 1997 as a lab bench-based researcher within Discovery DMPK, he thought he had found his perfect job. The pharmaceutical industry was on the crest of a wave and there was plenty of money. He also had excellent qualifications, including a PhD in chemistry, and over the next 14 years developed an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of in vitro and in vivo DMPK from hit identification to candidate drug nomination and beyond and progressed to Team Leader.
But the ‘golden age’ of Big Pharma had begun to lose some of its lustre by 2002–2003 and the industry started slowly to change. R&D spend had doubled over 20 years, the patent cliff was looming for blockbuster drugs, and the industry couldn’t keep spending money for little reward. A massive reduction in headcount in the research departments of Big Pharma began, together with a move to more outsourcing to cut costs. Weaver found himself caught up in the changes.
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