The Project Team as an Organizing Principle

The introduction of a new drug to medical practice culminates a vast project lasting thousands of human-years and drawing on hundreds of employees, contractors, and patients. Their contributions, like those of any other 

The project-team approach features a famous success. In 1972, a team led by organic chemist Robert Ganellin and pharmacologist James Black discovered the antiulcer, Hg-antagonist cimetidine at Smith Kline and French (now SmithKline Beecham). Their scientific and commercial success culminated 15 years of research. During this time, some 20 biologists and 50 chemists tested and made 700 compounds, the first 200 of them in 4 years. (By today s combinatorial chemistry standards, a set of 700 new compounds is minute.) Two of these compounds failed one or more clinical studies be- 

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