The role of the pharmaceutical industry has been defined as the application of “basic knowledge in biology and chemistry to the discovery of new medicines” [1]. While it is generally acknowledged that the industry has made significant contributions to the health and financial well-being of society in this role [2], there is, by and large, no single formula by which success in the discovery process can be guaranteed. The choice of a research philosophy, the identification of realistic targets based on unmet medical needs, hiring of skilled, goal-oriented personnel and the tactical plan by which to implement chosen strategies are all problems that research management has traditionally faced [3]. As the cost of research increases faster than company revenues [4] and the cost of introduction of new therapeutic entities, which can take from 10–15 years, now exceeds the $ 100 million mark [5, 6], the hope that the process of drug discovery will lend itself to being a quantifiable science with rules, guidelines and formulae for success is eagerly anticipated.