This year, we introduced our Pharma Replay newsletter, a monthly review of the best quips and quotes coming out of the drug industry. (Subscribe here.) Here’s a look back, in no particular order, at the best quotes of 2011. From these quotes, it appears it was a rough year for J&J, and for jobs.

One could say that supply chain security is the most critical issue facing drug manufacturers today—and perhaps facing our healthcare system as well. The supply chain is at the heart of healthcare’s greatest problems—drug counterfeiting and adulteration, shortages of key medicines, and of course escalating medical costs. Without security of supply, none of these challenges can be addressed.

A news item in Jim Edward’s blog brought heart-warming news of Pfizer’s decision to reduce medical benefits to retirees. The move, which the company was reportedly “pleased to announce” to its retiring employees, will leave retirees dependent on Medicare and their own savings, Edwards wrote, and has spurred a letter-writing campaign. More from the source.

The Atlantic, one of the oldest and most respected magazines around, has just come out with an article titled, "The Triumph of New-Age Medicine." In it, author David Freedman takes issue with those who would call new-age or alternative medicine "cleverly marketed, dangerous quackery."

The most popular piece of content on PharmaManufacturing.com for the past month or so has been "Pfizer Reinvents Lean in the Lab," an in-depth look at how the QA/QC labs in the company's Grange Castle, Ireland, site, have revamped and "Leaned" their work habits.

ostrich

The ostrich has become a staple of many pharmaceutical science presentations of late, symbolizing an industry that is reluctant to change. Perhaps it could symbolize some of the more shortsighted pharma CEO's at this point in the 21st century. With all due respect, as CEOs face a tough balancing act today, I have a few questions for this elite group:

Most of the U.S. Department of Justice’s major pharma-related decisions invoking the False Claims Act recently have involved illegal marketing and sales. So far, GSK’s is the only one to deal with current good manufacturing practices (cGMP’s).  Read on for a roundup of the top 20 recent cases from Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF).

Did any of you catch that recent WSJ report on the negative impact of mass layoffs? OK, I know that M&A layoffs are different, but today brought the sad news that Pfizer/Wyeth will lay off 6,000 employees and close eight of its manufacturing plants in Ireland, Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Yesterday, I wrote on PharmaQbD.com about a new Morgan Stanley report which suggests that small-molecule drug manufacturers (and to a lesser degree biologics manufacturers) have very little financial incentive to perform their own research and development activities. The old arguments about keeping certain core competencies in-house and managing risks don't hold water anymore, the report says.

Reading an article online today from the Boston Herald on how AstraZeneca is outfitting its new Waltham, Mass. R&D center with the latest and greatest green bells and whistles . . . it's good to see, but hardly surprising.