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The evolution of the pharmaceutical industry

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  • Franco Malerba
  • Luigi Orsenigo

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the main traits of the historical development of the pharmaceutical industry, using the lenses of the evolutionary approach to economic and industrial change. After a brief overview of the main evolutionary concepts which guide the subsequent discussion, our presentation identifies four main eras: from the formative stages (from the late 1800s to War World II) to the so-called Golden Age (the 1940s to the mid-1970s), the biotechnology revolution (the 1970s to the new millennium, approximately) and what we label the 'Winter of Discontent?' (the first decade of the new century). Within all these epochs, we discuss the main trends in technology, firms' strategies and structures, patterns of competition, demand, regulation and institutional developments. Section 6 concludes the article, briefly discussing some main implications for the present and future of the industry on the one hand and for the relevance of an evolutionary approach to the analysis of corporate and industrial change on the other.

Suggested Citation

  • Franco Malerba & Luigi Orsenigo, 2015. "The evolution of the pharmaceutical industry," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(5), pages 664-687, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:bushst:v:57:y:2015:i:5:p:664-687
    DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2014.975119
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    1. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Shane Greenstein & Rebecca M. Henderson, 2011. "Schumpeterian Competition and Diseconomies of Scope: Illustrations from the Histories of Microsoft and IBM," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity Revisited, pages 203-271, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    3. Gambardella,Alfonso, 1995. "Science and Innovation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521451185, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Qiang & He, Qile, 2020. "DIY Laboratories and business innovation ecosystems: The case of pharmaceutical industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    2. Massimo Florio & Simona Gamba, 2021. "Biomed Europa: After the coronavirus, a public infrastructure to overcome the pharmaceutical oligopoly," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(3), pages 387-409, September.
    3. Dosi, Giovanni & Palagi, Elisa & Roventini, Andrea & Russo, Emanuele, 2023. "Do patents really foster innovation in the pharmaceutical sector? Results from an evolutionary, agent-based model," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 564-589.
    4. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Matousek, Roman & Tzeremes, Nickolaos G., 2023. "Estimating the degree of firms’ input market power via data envelopment analysis: Evidence from the global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(2), pages 946-960.
    5. Juha‐Antti Lamberg & Mirva Peltoniemi, 2020. "The nanoeconomics of firm‐level decision‐making and industry evolution: Evidence from 200 years of paper and pulp making," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 499-529, March.
    6. Pooja Thakur-Wernz & Olga Bruyaka, 2017. "Co-evolutionary Perspective on Sourcing Portfolios: Examining Sourcing Choices for Clinical Trials of Bio-pharmaceutical Firms," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 909-946, December.
    7. Changhyeon Song & Kwangsoo Shin, 2019. "Business Model Design for Latecomers in Biopharmaceutical Industry: The Case of Korean Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Patricia Laurens & Christian Le Bas & Antoine Schoen, 2019. "Worldwide IP coverage of patented inventions in large pharma firms: to what extent do the internationalisation of R&D and firm strategy matter?," Post-Print hal-01725229, HAL.
    9. Miozza, Mario & Brunetta, Federica & Appio, Francesco Paolo, 2024. "Digital transformation of the Pharmaceutical Industry: A future research agenda for management studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    10. Boutillier, Sophie & Laperche, Blandine & Lebert, Didier & Elouaer-Mrizak, Sana, 2023. "A systemic analysis of the technological trajectory at company level based on patent data: The case of Sanofi's vaccine technology," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    11. Nuvolari, Alessandro & Russo, Emanuele, 2019. "Technical progress and structural change: a long-term view," MERIT Working Papers 2019-022, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    12. Hao Tan, 2017. "Making impact through industry-focused research: An Asia Pacific perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 487-503, September.
    13. Zoltán Lakner & Anna Kiss & József Popp & Zoltán Zéman & Domicián Máté & Judit Oláh, 2019. "From Basic Research to Competitiveness: An Econometric Analysis of the Global Pharmaceutical Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, June.
    14. Ute Laermann-Nguyen & Martin Backfisch, 2021. "Innovation crisis in the pharmaceutical industry? A survey," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(12), pages 1-37, December.
    15. Gergő Tömöri & Vilmos Lakatos & Bernadett Béresné Mártha, 2021. "The Effect of Financial Risk Taking on Profitability in the Pharmaceutical Industry," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, October.
    16. Angelo Kenneth S. Romasanta & Peter Sijde & Jacqueline Muijlwijk-Koezen, 2020. "Innovation in pharmaceutical R&D: mapping the research landscape," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(3), pages 1801-1832, December.
    17. Larissa Shnayder & Frank J. Van Rijnsoever, 2018. "How expected outcomes, stakeholders, and institutions influence corporate social responsibility at different levels of large basic needs firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1689-1707, December.
    18. Camille Loir & Bertrand Groslambert, 2023. "The impact of innovation on the profitability of the biotech industry," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 43(3), pages 1286-1297.
    19. Daniel P. Gross & Bhaven N. Sampat, 2022. "Crisis Innovation Policy from World War II to COVID-19," Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 135-181.
    20. repec:ehu:cuader:49122 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Seung In Um & Changone Kim & Taejin Ha & Jinju Kim & Heesang Lee, 2022. "Morphological Change and Internal Growth Factors of Firms in the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry in Recent Decades," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    22. Mayimele, Nsovo & Demana, Patrick & Keele, Mothobi, 2023. "Perceptions of Board Members on the Presence of Pharmacists as Strategic Leaders of Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Companies Operating in South Africa: A Qualitative Study," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(2), pages 87-98.
    23. Alexander S. Kritikos & Alexander Schiersch & Caroline Stiel, 2022. "The productivity shock in business services," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1273-1299, October.
    24. Rosiello, Alessandro & Maleki, Ali, 2021. "A dynamic multi-sector analysis of technological catch-up: The impact of technology cycle times, knowledge base complexity and variety," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(3).
    25. Busfield, Joan, 2020. "Documenting the financialisation of the pharmaceutical industry," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).

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