Another pill to swallow.
Another long trip to the clinic.
Another part of life put on hold.
Even when a new treatment holds real promise, the day‑to‑day reality can still feel heavy.
And that’s exactly where we begin.
What if the infusion center is too far, too exhausting?
What if one more pill is just too much?
We listen –
To patients. To caregivers. To advocates who live this every day.
Their experiences shape how we design medicines:
Fewer pills to manage,
formulations that are easier to take,
and options that reduce clinic visits...
So treatment fits into your life, instead of running it.
When care becomes part of your world,
it’s easier to stay on track.
Easier to be present for the laughs, the quiet moments, the people who matter most.
We continually push the science...
applying the patient voice alongside innovation —
to open the door to more everyday triumphs,
more shared joy,
more days filled with memories.
Because real hope isn’t just in the medicine.
It’s in making room for life to keep moving forward.
And this is our promise to every patient: to listen with care, to adapt with heart, and to push science forward – so you can spend your time on what matters most.
Updated: October 9, 2026
A therapy can be scientifically powerful yet still difficult to live with. At Bristol Myers Squibb, our Product Development teams work to design medicines that go beyond efficacy — considering how treatments are taken and how patients and caregivers experience therapy day-to-day.
This Science with Purpose story highlights how designing with patients in mind helps make our innovative solutions work in the real world.
The medicines we develop are designed to treat disease. But for patients, treatment is also about something bigger: being able to live their lives. For Jennifer, a hairstylist from Louisville, Kentucky, living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), that means spending time with her son, continuing the career she loves, and making time for activities that bring her joy.
When RA symptoms began affecting multiple joints throughout her body in 2020, even everyday tasks became difficult. As a hairstylist who relies on her hands and spends long hours on her feet, the impact was significant.
“I missed a lot of time with Edward, my son,” Jennifer recalls. “It’s hard to be sick and try to be positive."
Jennifer’s experience reflects a broader reality for many people living with chronic disease: treatment is not just about managing symptoms. It’s about maintaining careers, caring for families, and participating in everyday life. Those realities help shape ww5’ approach to patient-driven product design.
Every medicine begins with scientific discovery, but Product Development teams are focused on something equally important: how that medicine will fit into a patient’s life.
Beyond just relevant information about Bristol Myers Squibb's therapeutic areas and innovation, Our stories offer a window into the work our employees do every day for patients.
As Yun Mao, vice president, Drug Product Development, explains, the team’s work helps bridge the gap between a promising molecule and a medicine patients can use seamlessly. Her team turns scientific discoveries into medicines designed with patients in mind, considering not only efficacy and safety, but the overall treatment experience.
“Our goal is not only to develop effective medicines. It’s to develop medicines that fit into the context of patients’ lives. That’s what patient-driven product design means for us.”
Patient insights play an important role in that process. Through co-creation with patient advocacy organizations and learning from patient testimonials, our teams seek to understand challenges that may influence how people experience treatment. Those insights help inform decisions about formulation, administration, and delivery technologies.
“When we talk with patients, we often hear they want a sense of normalcy. They want treatment to fit into their lives, not to organize their lives around it. That shapes decisions we make in the lab, from how many tablets someone takes to how a medicine is administered.”
Patient-driven product design isn’t always about a breakthrough scientific discovery. Sometimes, it means making thoughtful changes that help treatment fit more easily into daily life.
That can take many forms. Scientists may reformulate a medicine to reduce the number of tablets a patient takes each day, helping simplify treatment routines. Teams may also develop innovative dosage forms, such as mini-tablets that can be mixed with food or tablets designed to dissolve on the tongue, to address the needs of patients who have difficulty swallowing. They also consider how medicines fit into daily routines, including the foods that may be familiar and accessible across different cultures or regions.
Packaging is another important part of the treatment experience. Teams consider whether it is easy to open for someone with limited hand strength and whether it works with the way patients organize their medicines each week.
Teams also explore administration approaches that may reduce the time patients spend receiving treatment or offer greater flexibility in how and where it is administered. Together, these choices reflect a broader goal: reducing barriers that can make treatment more difficult to manage.
For patients like Jennifer, that flexibility can mean spending less time thinking about treatment and more time focused on work, family, and daily routines. What may seem like a small design decision in the laboratory can meaningfully shape how treatment is experienced in everyday life.
For Jennifer, innovation isn’t measured in scientific terms. It’s measured in moments.
Being able to show up for her son. Continuing to build a career she loves. Spending time in her garden. Returning to activities like hot yoga. Planning for the future instead of being defined by her disease.
“It was like I got my life back,” Jennifer says.
Today, one of the most meaningful changes is not what Jennifer has gained, but what she no longer has to plan around. Having a treatment routine she can manage at home means less time spent thinking about appointments, schedules, and treatment logistics, and more time focused on the people and activities that matter most.
“When treatment just fits into my life, I don’t think about my disease all the time,” she shared. “It’s just so in the background that I don’t even think about it.”
Jennifer wants her story to be a reminder to other patients that no matter what they are facing, they are not alone in it.
“First of all, there’s always hope, no matter what.”
She also hopes that sharing her story will help others understand the realities of living with chronic disease and the importance of continuing to innovate on behalf of patients.
“At the end of the day, science is what allows me to have an enjoyable, pretty normal life,” she says. “There are people behind the science.”
As scientists continue to push innovation forward, patient voices remain an important guide in designing therapies that support both health and independence in everyday life.
Because ultimately, patient-driven product design isn’t just about the medicine itself. It’s about helping patients spend less time managing their disease and more time living their lives.
Science with Purpose is a storytelling series focused on the role science plays in solving real‑world challenges. Spanning the full value chain, each story highlights how teams across Bristol Myers Squibb apply innovation, rigor and collaboration to move from possibility to progress — advancing science with intention and impact.
Because your story can help inspire another.
If you're successfully managing your condition, we'd love to hear about your experience. It could make a difference for someone else.
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. As global citizens, we work sustainably and responsibly to create a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.
