Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
science and in particular in the literature on paradigms. A new paradigm funda-
mentally alters the approach used for search and problem-solving; thus, biotech-
nology can be categorized as a genuine new paradigm. It is intrinsic to scientifi c
development that after the emergence of a new paradigm, a period of paradigm
refi nement and articulation is required as paradigms are open-ended, leaving
many things unexplained (Kuhn
1962
). Translated to the rise of biotechnology in
the pharmaceutical industry, arguably the late 1980s and the 1990s correspond to
the emergence of the paradigm in this industry. If the year 2000 denotes approxi-
mately the moment where biotechnology has become ingrained in the capabilities
of pharmaceutical fi rms, the last decade is characterized by paradigm develop-
ment and refi nement.
Put differently, biotechnology has gradually moved from an emerging technological
fi eld to an established (developing) fi eld. This development is important for both the
study and management of fi rms in the biopharmaceutical industry, as an emerging
technological fi eld is characterized by exceptional uncertainty and complexity
(Macher
2006
) and the nature of scientifi c inquiry (e.g., persistence in a particular
area of research and sensitivity to social dynamics of the research community) differs
in early versus late stages of an emerging fi eld (Rappa and Debackere
1995
). In sum,
even though there are no signs that the technological developments in biotechnology
will abate in the near future, the way biotechnology fi rms as well as pharmaceutical
fi rms select and collaborate with their partners is likely different from the 1980s and
1990s, i.e., from the period that has been subject to empirical scrutiny.
Emergence of nanotechnology
. While many pharmaceutical fi rms continue to invest
in biotechnology, other scientifi c fi elds are emerging. First, since the 2001 US
National Nanotechnology Initiative, nanotechnology is becoming more and more
important. Also in the pharmaceutical industry, nanoparticles have different areas of
application, such as in biomarkers and diagnostics for early disease detection and
drug delivery and effi cacy improvements (Netzsch Fine Particle Technology, 2008).
3
Pharmaceutical companies consider nanotechnology a promising platform to
improve drug design and streamline drug development (Hobson
2009
). The conse-
quences of nanotechnology for pharmaceutical fi rms may not be clear-cut, yet it is
worthwhile to follow up on this emerging scientifi c fi eld in the study of alliance
portfolios.
Personalized medicine
. Another potentially interesting development relates to the
increasing potential of personalized medicine. Most of the prior literature on inno-
vativeness in the pharmaceutical industry, including the studies on alliance portfo-
lios, focused on the generation of radical innovations or blockbuster drugs. Some
have argued, however, that if the promise of personalized medicine is to materialize,
new business models are required that are not focused on the quest for one winner
but rather on the creation of a broad palette of more effective and profi table,
3
NETZSCH Fine Particle Technology, LLC, downloaded from
http://www.pharmamanufacturing.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search