• The Wall Street Journal, Monday, October 22, 2007 11:30 AM

Pfizer's announcement last week that it would stop making and marketing Exubera, an inhaled insulin, represents a sharp break with industry precedent and could foster a sense it doesn't work well with partners like Nektar Therapeutics, from which it licensed the drug.

Drug makers usually let under-performing products languish on the market, happy to squeeze out whatever sales they can. The drastic--and costly--step of pulling products usually is reserved for cases involving significant safety concerns, or in response to regulators' demands.

CEO Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler's public comments indicate he aims to bring something else new to the drug industry: A fast-food-like focus on what the market wants. At a meeting in January, he pledged to create commercial units to get closer to customers. And he explained his decision to pull Exubera as a sign of Pfizer's new commitment to "listen to our customers."

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