"The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have been changing rapidlyover the last five years," said Jason Richardson, president of Cutting EdgeInformation. "The competitive and regulatory environments have shifted,and in many ways this is a more challenging world than we've seen in thelast fifteen years. However, I believe there is a great deal that pharmaand biotech companies can do to prosper and grow going forward. With thefog of the election season receding, it's time to get down to business."

Elio Evangelista, research manager, noted the especially rapid changestaking place in how pharmaceutical companies communicate with physicians."While the general sales forces are being cut, we see more specializedforces working in hyperdrive to get scientific information out," saidEvangelista. "Scientific and medical affairs groups are growing by leapsand bounds. We think this heightened emphasis on delivering high-qualityclinical information will help address a perception in healthcare thatpharma teams are visiting too often with the same information."

"Both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have massive pipelines ofpotential drugs," said Eric Bolesh, research manager. "But the cost ofsuccessfully bringing a drug to market has been a drag on this wave ofinnovation. Companies are facing the end of patent protection on a wholegeneration of blockbusters and working to make the promise of personalizedmedicine a reality. With smart business development, clinical developmentand portfolio management, all of these companies can build the nextgeneration of successful products and really push the science forward."

"Political change may bring new competitive or regulatory developments,"said Richardson. "Next year we're looking at four or five percent globalgrowth, with only one to two percent in the U.S. But this is afast-moving, adaptable industry and we expect to see positive developmentson both the scientific and business fronts in the next few years."

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