The beginning of the end of Rahway

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Anonymous

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Does this make sense?

Biology will be moved out of Rahway, leaving a Chemistry SWAT team in Rahway.

The 80s are going to be demolished because it is embarrassing to Tiller.

In order to have effective research, one needs to foster collaboration between different departments.

This model makes it damn near impossible.

The chemists are going to feel like they are just modeling/testing for future chemistry outsourcing.

Once outsourcing is up to speed, why need Rahway at all?

Because they need them to focus on complex and difficult chemistry?

How many of you believe this.

Scientists please comment. Sales people - we know you are bitter. So please refrain.
 






Anonymous said:
Does this make sense?

Biology will be moved out of Rahway, leaving a Chemistry SWAT team in Rahway.

The 80s are going to be demolished because it is embarrassing to Tiller.

In order to have effective research, one needs to foster collaboration between different departments.

This model makes it damn near impossible.

The chemists are going to feel like they are just modeling/testing for future chemistry outsourcing.

Once outsourcing is up to speed, why need Rahway at all?

Because they need them to focus on complex and difficult chemistry?

How many of you believe this.

Scientists please comment. Sales people - we know you are bitter. So please refrain.
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This has been known for a while. People blame R&D without understanding we have been caught up in the drama of upper level people not allowing us to do our job. We all want to do well, work together, and succeed. You can't compare Merck now compared to Merck 30 years ago. When people got promoted it was for valid reasons and not because of politics Even if you did not like the person, you still respected that persons work ethic and we all worked well together. Some great thing were accomplished.

Hindsight being 20/20, I would not have worked at Merck if I thought it would have gotten to this point. Within 4 years NJ most of NJ will be gone. They will move entire departments and facilities to other GEO's outside the USA. That will do more damage than good. The people at Merck have great talent and cannot be replaced. Other GEO's have talent but they are more mechanical and less dynamic than here in the USA.
 






So, boo hoo - Rahway is closing. Big deal! The fact that SP was as successful (in drug registrations) as Merck on a fraction of the budget speaks to the productivity of a single site. And yes - the sooner we break the chemistry mafia up the better. Chemists have always viewed biologists as a necessary evil. The truth is, Merck needs MORE biology. Most drugs fail because of safety / efficacy issues in human trials. Clearly, we need to understand why better than we do now. And, yes, a lot of the routine work (chemistry and biology) can be outsourced. Keep innovation inside and routine work outside - if this is done with sensitivity (i.e. a real understanding of the challenges of R and D) there is no reason why we cannot succeed again. We still have the highest quality science base in the industry. All we need is for the clueless leadership of MRL to step aside for people with real drug discovery experience. We don't need 'world class researchers' leading, but rather working in the labs!
 






Anonymous said:
So, boo hoo - Rahway is closing. Big deal! The fact that SP was as successful (in drug registrations) as Merck on a fraction of the budget speaks to the productivity of a single site. And yes - the sooner we break the chemistry mafia up the better. Chemists have always viewed biologists as a necessary evil. The truth is, Merck needs MORE biology. Most drugs fail because of safety / efficacy issues in human trials. Clearly, we need to understand why better than we do now. And, yes, a lot of the routine work (chemistry and biology) can be outsourced. Keep innovation inside and routine work outside - if this is done with sensitivity (i.e. a real understanding of the challenges of R and D) there is no reason why we cannot succeed again. We still have the highest quality science base in the industry. All we need is for the clueless leadership of MRL to step aside for people with real drug discovery experience. We don't need 'world class researchers' leading, but rather working in the labs!
Click to expand...

Agreed. With Merck leadership and SP scientists we can't lose.
 












Anonymous said:
So, boo hoo - Rahway is closing. Big deal! The fact that SP was as successful (in drug registrations) as Merck on a fraction of the budget speaks to the productivity of a single site. And yes - the sooner we break the chemistry mafia up the better. Chemists have always viewed biologists as a necessary evil. The truth is, Merck needs MORE biology. Most drugs fail because of safety / efficacy issues in human trials. Clearly, we need to understand why better than we do now. And, yes, a lot of the routine work (chemistry and biology) can be outsourced. Keep innovation inside and routine work outside - if this is done with sensitivity (i.e. a real understanding of the challenges of R and D) there is no reason why we cannot succeed again. We still have the highest quality science base in the industry. All we need is for the clueless leadership of MRL to step aside for people with real drug discovery experience. We don't need 'world class researchers' leading, but rather working in the labs!
Click to expand...

In managements eyes, there's a thin, if not non-existent, line between innovation and routine (read: "outsourceable"), trust me!!!! If you don't, wait and see for yourself. MRL US is, frankly, doomed. Sorry to say (20 years in).
 






I think the whole thing stinks. It is not the facilities that make the scientists...its the scientists that make the facility. The whole comparison of KW chemists versus MRL chemists is stupid. There were more drug registrations at KW because they were willing to take more chances. MRL became extremely inept with programs and people stopped taking chances for fear of being put in the bottom 10 or 15% bucket. As a scientist, discoveries come from taking chances and risks. If you take the time to make a gamble, and you lose, now you are in that dreaded bottom bucket. There ain't no coming back from that.
I also do not think the chemists are that much better at KW at all. They probably had better management that allowed them to be creative and have some freedom. People need to understand that for at least the past 6 years, every year there has been a layoff or reorg of some sort. How can anyone focus in that crap? Good people will eventually leave on their own and not wait for their letter in October or whenever notifying them where they are going. Oh and about your CROs in China....show me one example where this has been productive and led to anything. One associate and PhD can outdo 10 of them and there is no competition. They may be cheaper but you get what you pay for.
 






























Anonymous said:
in Vivo pharmacology gone, gone
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I'm not picking on anyone. I'm sure the scientists were excellent and did their jobs with pride.

But, this is clearly an area that can be 'out-sourced.' Why pay for lab space, salaries, and benefits when you can contract this work out to a CRO?

Less costs for the company=more dividends for the shareholder. Capitalism at its finest.
 












Anonymous said:
Why have in vivo pharmacology anyway. We don't have reliable animal models for what we're developing anyway.
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actually, you can split that off from in vivo pharm. In vivo pharm could/should just focus on PK/PD.

Animal models (which can now be contracted out, also) is more direct; give a dose (or multiple) and see if you have efficacy. Sometimes, you link the two but often-not.

And then there is always, efficacy with no PK/PD.

Oh well, as in Monty Python: "we're not long for this world"
 






Anonymous said:
in Vivo pharmacology gone, gone
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Here is the new R&D system at Merck.

Some one thinks it, chemists make it, In-Vitro screens it, then it goes into man. Once this fails as it will because Merck is cutting out anything that is true R&D, Ken will be forced to layoff an additional 30k. This time he will cut all In-Vitro.

The new R&D system at Merck will then be:

Someone thinks it, chemists make it, then it goes into man. This will fail too as a R&D system then Ken will have to layoff an additional 30k. This time he will lay off the thinkers.

The new R&D system at Merck will then be:

Chemists make what ever they want, then it goes into man.

This will fail, then Ken will have to layoff an additional 30k and it will be the chemists.

The new R&D system at Merck will then be:

Send someone down to colombia, pick up some cheap grade black tar heroin, then put it in man and say it is a pain killer.

Ken Fraisier gets $1B bonus and a life long relationship with a colombian drug lord.
 
























Anonymous said:
Kenilworth, WP and Rahway will be gone in 2-3 years. There will be a shell in Kenilworth and that's about it.
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It sucks but I agree with this. RW is a shell of what it once was, KW is just about over with, WP is just a bad place. generics are not made in jersey and R&D is going abroad. moral stinks and production because of moral is low. The whole I work for Merck and proud of it is down the drain.
 












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