Anacor's mission is to improve healthcare through unconventional thinking.

The following points reflect the Core Values of our organization:

We do not assume that the conventional wisdom is correct. We value experience and past success, but we are constantly asking “why” when looking for solutions to a new problem.

Drug development is both science and business. The two cannot be separated. Every scientific decision that we make is informed by the business implications. Likewise, we make business decisions that factor in the reality of the science. The tight link between these two disciplines is one of the reasons that Anacor has been so productive to date. We intend to maintain that focus.

Bigger is not necessarily better. Drug development is fundamentally a creative process, and creative processes are better performed by small, focused teams than by large, bureaucratic organizations. Anacor is focused on developing world class teams in our areas of emphasis (chemistry, discovery biology, dermatology development, etc.), and outsourcing as much of the remaining work as possible.

Program management matters. Drug development is a complex process that involves many different specialties. We believe that open communication across these different disciplines is essential to making good decisions in a timely manner. Through our Program Management process, we rigorously apply the Theory of Constraints, and optimize our ability to develop the best drugs in the shortest amount of time.

If something is not going to work, we want to know as soon as possible. We have chosen to work in a risky business. Many of the things that we try will not work. We acknowledge that fact, and seek to eliminate the biggest risks first.

We will deal with others with transparency, honesty and integrity. We apply this principle to employees, partners, investors, regulators, patients and healthcare providers. This behavior builds loyalty, gains trust and establishes an impeccable reputation, and it’s just the right thing to do.

We strive to be a motivating place to work. While there are many elements to motivation, we believe that one of the most important aspects is to clearly communicate the direction of our company, clearly link each employee’s efforts to the company’s overall success and to recognize and reward that success.