Pfizer and the chess game of pharmaceutical science

Like most of the world’s biggest drug companies, Pfizer has spent the last decade or so getting smaller on purpose, selling off money-making appendages to focus on the old-fashioned business of inventing drugs. But unlike many of its peers, Pfizer has actually succeeded at doing so.

As STAT’s Matthew Herper reports, Pfizer’s top scientist turns to chess when explaining his company’s pharmaceutical productivity. There is no single strategy but rather an effort to master the opening game, win the middle game, and, most importantly, nail the end game, according to Mikel Dolsten, who has led Pfizer’s research since 2009.

In the ensuing 10 years, Pfizer saw a marked improvement in the number of medicines it brought to the market. The rules of the past may not govern the next 10 years, but Dolsten believes Pfizer’s methodical approach will endure. It’s why he keeps a chess set in his desk.

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Speaking of pharma productivity, for a look at which companies are the best at inventing things (and why measuring that is so tricky), click here.