Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Another line of inquiry could examine if the open science generated by the pub-
lic sector (i.e., free access to the latest advancements in fundamental biomedical
knowledge) affects large and small fi rms similarly, or whether large fi rms may have
an advantage because of inherently greater absorption capacity. Is it the fi rms with
a more narrow functional focus or the vertically integrated fi rms, the more special-
ized ones or those with more diversifi ed project portfolios that are poised to benefi t
more from open science?
Disentangling the impact of fi rm-level factors contributing to the sales perfor-
mance of a new drug is another area that researchers could explore. For example,
how does sales performance vary with prior experience in the therapeutic class or
category, changes in the marketing budget, the size of the sales force, or embedded-
ness in vast networks of professional contacts? How does technological experience
affect new drug sales for fi rms with established market presence in certain catego-
ries, and what are the underpinnings of these effects? Can the sales effects be attrib-
uted to measurable improvements in drug quality or effi cacy, or are they largely
perceptual, derived from other signals about organizational knowledge and exper-
tise? If the effects are mostly perceptual, does the primary locus of the perceived
effect lie with the physicians, the pharmacists, the health insurance companies, or
with the patients?
The world is becoming an increasingly more compact place, presenting ample
opportunities for dispersed innovation and expedient collaboration. This is particu-
larly evident to global pharmaceutical companies whose subsidiaries and research
centers are already spread around the world. The effectiveness and effi ciencies of
different models of international collaboration in innovation, the impact of policies
and laws governing intellectual property across countries, as well as the infl uence of
local cultures and entrepreneurial climate on innovation outcomes or on alliance
proclivity can be interesting to explore, too.
In summary, we believe there is an abundance of issues and themes that merit
considerable research attention in the fi eld of pharmaceutical innovation. We hope
this compilation will be a useful platform for many enthusiastic researchers to join
in and contribute to the burgeoning stream of studies related to the discovery and
development of effi cacious novel drugs.
Databases relevant for research on innovation in the pharmaceutical industry
Database name, provider
Type of data
AC Nielsen
Data on DTC Advertising
Adis R&D Insight Database
Drug pipeline database (reviews, stage, revenue
forecasts)
BioScan (American Health Consultants)
Profi les and alliance information on biotech fi rms
CRSP/CompuStat
Financial and market data on public fi rms
Datastream (Thomson Financial)
Financial and market data on public fi rms
Delphi Pharma's Product Trends and
Company Trends Databases
Historical and forecast data for top drugs and leading
pharma fi rms
Delphion (Thomson Reuters)
Patent citations
(continued)
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