Publications

April 2009
Case

Merck: Managing Vioxx (A)

By: Robert L. Simons, Kathryn Rosenberg and Natalie Kindred

This two-class case series allows students to stand in the shoes of CEO Ray Gilmartin during the unfolding stages of a reputational crisis. Merck's mission statement claims to "put patients first," but the company is widely criticized for putting profit before patient... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Crisis Management; Reputation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Customers; Business or Company Management; Cost vs Benefits; Corporate Accountability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Customer Focus and Relationships; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009 (Revised April 2010)
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (B)

By: Robert L. Simons, Kathryn Rosenberg and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Health; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (C)

By: Robert L. Simons, Kathryn Rosenberg and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (D)

By: Robert L. Simons, Kathryn Rosenberg and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (E)

By: Robert L. Simons, Kathryn Rosenberg and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Leadership; Decision Choices and Conditions; Customer Focus and Relationships; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009 (Revised April 2010)
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (F)

By: Robert L. Simons and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Health; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009
Supplement

Merck: Managing Vioxx (G)

By: Robert L. Simons and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership; Customer Focus and Relationships; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Sermo, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lars Peter Christian Nielsen

Sermo operates the leading online professional network for physicians in the United States. Doctors use Sermo free of charge to post surveys regarding diagnostic and treatment concerns and to discuss these concerns, as well as challenges with managing their practices.... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Knowledge Sharing; Two-Sided Platforms; Conflict and Resolution; Social and Collaborative Networks; United States

April 2009 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Immusol and Novartis

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Keyne M. Monson, Juan D. Betancourt and Victor Li

Should Immusol strive to become a fully integrated pharmaceutical company? How should a small pharmaceutical company structure a deal for its novel technology with the giant Novartis? View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Rights; Negotiation Deal; Negotiation Participants; Alliances; Pharmaceutical Industry

April 2009
Teaching Note

Amylin Pharmaceuticals: Diabetes and Beyond (TN)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Rachel Gordon

Teaching Note for [809011]. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Deal; Product Development; Success; Commercialization; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Resource Allocation; Pharmaceutical Industry

March 2009
Teaching Note

Proteus Biomedical: Making Pigs Fly (TN)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Teaching Note for [809051]. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Information Technology; Competition; Negotiation Deal; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

March 2009
Teaching Note

Antegren: A Beacon of Hope (TN)

By: Joshua D. Margolis

Teaching Note for [408025], [408026], [408027], and [408028]. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Decision Choices and Conditions; Crisis Management; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

February 2009 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Merck: Global Health and Access to Medicines

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Katharine Lee

The case describes the effort of Merck, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, in making available its medicines to the poor. The challenge for the company (or for that matter, any pharmaceutical company) is how to integrate its business strategy with its corporate social... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Health Care and Treatment; Emerging Markets; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Poverty; Business Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry

February 2009
Teaching Note

Syndexa and Technology Transfer at Harvard University (TN)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Teaching Note for [808073]. View Details

Keywords: Agreements and Arrangements; Commercialization; Science-Based Business; Research; Rights; Pharmaceutical Industry

Article

A Blueprint for Pharmacy Benefits Managers to Increase Value

By: William Shrank, Michael E. Porter, Sachin H. Jain and Niteesh K. Choudhary

Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) have a unique opportunity to promote public health and generate value in the healthcare system. However, PBMs are largely evaluated on their ability to control costs rather than improve health. PBMs should be evaluated along three... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Health; System; Cost Management; Partners and Partnerships; Motivation and Incentives; Value; Innovation and Invention; Performance Effectiveness; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

Find at Harvard

January 2009
Teaching Note

Biocon: Launching a New Cancer Drug in India (TN)

By: Sunil Gupta and Das Narayandas

Teaching Note for [508026]. View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Market Timing; Price; Distribution Channels; Marketing Strategy; Health Care and Treatment; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; India

December 2008 (Revised October 2013)
Case

Amylin Pharmaceuticals: Diabetes and Beyond (A)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Rachel Gordon

Ginger Graham, CEO of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, joined the company with the expectation of taking the company's signature drug, Symlin, to market. However, unforeseen regulatory challenges have put the approval process in jeopardy. At the same time, the company has a... View Details

Keywords: Regulations; Drug Regulations; Symlin; Negotiation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Resource Allocation; Negotiation Deal; Product Development; Research and Development; Commercialization; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

December 2008 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Proteus Biomedical: Making Pigs Fly

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Lauren Barley and Ginger Graham

Proteus is a healthcare start-up that has developed technology to embed electronics for computing and sensing in existing medical devices and drugs. The technology could potentially change the basis of competition in the pharmaceutical industry. The company is... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Rights; Negotiation Deal; Business Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

September 2008
Case

Pfizer Inc: Building an Innovation Center

By: Stefan H. Thomke and Ashok Nimgade

The case describes Pfizer's efforts to build and run an innovation center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the center goes through different periods of leadership and strategic models, its relationship with the corporation and other research sites is explored. The case... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Research and Development; Pharmaceutical Industry; Cambridge