From the Wall Street Journal, here's a story that highlights the dramatic changes going on in the depths of big pharma. The feature article looks in particular at Pfizer and a round of layoffs it announced earlier this year -- among the 2,100 people cut was the inventor of Lipitor, "the bestselling pharmaceutical drug ever," according to the story.
If being responsible for some $80 billion in revenues doesn't bring job security, what does? According to the article, pharma is so mired in tough times, and new chemical compounds have proven so hard to come by, that chemists are being laid off with abandon. It's a good time to be thankful if you're one of the lucky pharma scientists working on biologics instead.