Andy Grove, the famous CEO of Intel, has spoken out publicly against the pharmaceutical industry. I’d like to comment on a few of his statements.
First a few words on my perspective. Before moving to biotech I actually had a stint in process development at Intel, so I’m pretty familiar with the industry and the technology. Now I’m in R&D in the biotech industry which, while not really the same as pharma in general, still gives me a good perspective on the challenges of drug development.
Mr. Grove is a very smart guy who’s been very successful in his industry. He’s not just a management-focused CEO, but an actual technical expert who’s made it to the top. My point here is just that he’s got a credible reputation for technical matters.
I picked the semiconductor industry because it’s the one I know; I spent 40 years in it, during which it became the foundation for all of electronics. It has done a bunch of unbelievable things, powering computers of increasing power and speed. But in the treatment of Parkinson’s, we have gone from levodopa to levodopa. ALS [Lou Gehrig's disease] has no good treatment; Alzheimer’s has none.
This is, unfortunately, a nonsensical comparison. Grove’s main point is that the semiconductor industry has made huge strides in 40 years but the pharma industry has not.
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