Organon experiences Schering's research 'religion'

The Star-Ledger sat down with Tom Koestler, the research chief for Schering-Plough, to review its progress developing new therapies and integrating the R&D section of Organon. Koestler and CEO Fred Hassan (photo) have been lauded for their work turning the company around. Analysts now generally give the company top marks for creating a promising pipeline. And while some have questioned the $14.4 billion price tag for Organon, there are five other late-stage products offering some major earnings potential. The combined R&D operations includes 7,000 employees working in 42 sites. It's all built around the working philosophy of "customer-focused product flow," where reps from research, manufacturing and marketing all have a hand in guiding the research. "That's kind of like a religion we follow at Schering-Plough," Koestler told the Star-Ledger. "You can't just rely on the scientists to develop a compound."

- check out the report from the Star-Ledger

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