Why It Might Be Good for the Pharmaceutical Industry in the Long Run

A Different Take on Business Acumen and Market Dynamics

The headlines flashed like lightning:
“Trump Says He Will Sign Executive Order Aimed at Lowering Drug Prices”
“U.S. Drug Prices Will Be Pegged to International Rates”

And predictably, the immediate reaction across the pharmaceutical industry and markets was panic. The initial narrative was straightforward from a business acumen perspective: this move would slash revenues, limit pricing flexibility, and discourage investment in research and development (R&D).

But at Advantexe, where we develop business acumen simulations for global pharmaceutical companies, the reaction was different. Our team started texting immediately, not with fear, but with questions. How do we help clients navigate this curveball? How do we reframe the conversation?

We’ve been simulating this very scenario for months, introducing it as a “wobbler” in our learning experiences. And here’s the surprising conclusion we’ve come to:

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It’s trade show season, and Advantexe is heading to the ATD International Conference & EXPO, the talent development industry’s largest and most influential event. With thousands of attendees and hundreds of booths, one thing is clear: AI will dominate the conversation.

My guess is that nearly every vendor on the floor will be showcasing or name-dropping some form of AI. Whether it’s “AI-powered coaching,” “AI personalization,” or “AI-generated learning,” the buzz will be everywhere. But as a participant, how do you cut through the hype?

Not all AI is created equal. And not all vendors are using it in the same way, or with the same level of responsibility, transparency, or actual impact on learning outcomes.

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According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% in Q1 2025, the first quarterly decline since early 2022. At first glance, the drop might seem modest, but under the surface, it reveals important signals about shifting business behavior, the role of tariffs, and the resilience of the consumer economy.

The GDP calculation adds total consumer, business, and government spending, plus net exports (exports minus imports). In Q1, consumer spending, business investment, and exports all rose, typically signs of strength. However, a surge in imports, primarily driven by companies trying to get ahead of newly imposed tariffs, subtracted heavily from the overall GDP number.

Typically, such a pre-tariff import surge would be mirrored by a corresponding rise in inventories. But the BEA’s data suggests that inventory levels didn’t keep up. If not for the BEA's optimistic assumption that March inventories rose more than initially reported, GDP could have fallen by as much as 1.5%.

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The 2025 NFL Draft is over, and 32 teams now believe that their talent development strategy will lead them to a Super Bowl victory next February.

Ultimately, only one team will hoist the Lombardi trophy like the Philadelphia Eagles did a few months ago. The Eagles' second Super Bowl Championship in seven years is a testament to the players on the field and the front office, which scouts and drafts the players and then coaches them to success.

The difference between a dynasty and a disaster usually starts with one thing: how well you draft and develop your team. In the NFL, and in business, championships aren’t won on game day; they’re won long before, when you pick and grow your talent.

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One of the most recent trends in professional baseball has been hiring very smart, “Ivy League-educated” General Managers to run and lead the entire team’s strategy development and execution.

As a training and development professional, I must pause to ask the question, “Can leaders lead things they have never done?”

The reason for my question is that I work with some clients, and the progression to the C-suite takes 25+ years, doing work from the bottom up. The idea is that you can’t be an executive leader unless you have done the job and know how things really work. At the same time, I work with other clients who have a mandate for hiring fresh new thinking from “outside of the industry,” and the classic example of that is executives who worked in Consulting but have never actually been in the business.

I talked with senior leaders in my network to gain perspectives and ideas. I’m happy to share three reasons why they think it can work and three reasons why they don’t think it can work.

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