Publications

20 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Open Source Science: A New Model for Innovation

scientific problem solving? Yes, and it comes from an unexpected and unrelated corner of the universe: open source software development. That's the view of Karim R. Lakhani, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School with an extensive View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

William Steere, Jr.

Steere was strongly devoted to making Pfizer the number one pharmaceutical company in the United States. His first task at the pharmaceutical company was to cut the 40% of its business that was unrelated to... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare

2023
Working Paper

Evaluation and Learning in R&D Investment

By: Alexander P. Frankel, Joshua L. Krieger, Danielle Li and Dimitris Papanikolaou

We examine the role of spillover learning in shaping the value of exploratory versus incremental R&D. Using data from drug development, we show that novel drug candidates generate more knowledge spillovers than incremental ones. Despite being less likely to reach... View Details

Keywords: Research and Development; Forecasting and Prediction; Valuation; Pharmaceutical Industry

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19 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Funding Innovation: Is Your Firm Doing it Wrong?

Here's a cautionary tale of innovation woe: Nokia has consistently outspent Apple on phone-related research and development over the past decade, especially in the years leading up to the launch of Apple's iPhone. Between 2004 and 2007,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

September 2010
Teaching Note

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Building Value from the IP Estate (TN)

By: Willy C. Shih

Teaching Note for 611009. View Details

Keywords: Value; Patents; Corporate Strategy; Competition; Research and Development; Lawsuits and Litigation; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

Connor was a key leader in expanding Merck into international markets. He was an ardent supporter of research and development that enabled Merck to produce a series of successful pharmaceutical applications.... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare

April 2012 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Merck: Operating Science-Based Business

By: Ananth Raman, Inga Maurer and William Schmidt

Merck is known for its commitment to investing in basic R&D. Are Merck's long-term investments justifiable when the firm faces extreme earnings pressure? View Details

Keywords: Science-Based Business; Management; Research and Development; Business and Shareholder Relations; Operations; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

Luciano generated top-level financial performance while streamlining Schering’s business operations. He divested Schering’s non-healthcare related business lines and was one of the first pharmaceutical executives to recognize the... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare

Forthcoming
Article

Regulatory Incentives for Innovation: The FDA's Breakthrough Therapy Designation

By: Amitabh Chandra, Jennifer Kao, Kathleen L. Miller and Ariel Dora Stern

Regulators of new products confront a tradeoff between speeding a product to market and collecting additional product quality information. The FDA's Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) provides an opportunity to understand if regulators can use new policy to... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government Administration; Research and Development; Pharmaceutical Industry

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June 2006
Teaching Note

Vertex Pharmaceuticals: R&D Portfolio Management (A), (B), and (C) (TN)

By: Francesca Gino and Gary P. Pisano

Keywords: Investment Portfolio; Research and Development; Pharmaceutical Industry

May 2005
Supplement

GlaxoSmithKline: Reorganizing Drug Discovery (B)

By: Robert S. Huckman and Eli Strick

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decisions; Operations; Performance; Research and Development; Restructuring; Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry

26 Jul 2016
Working Paper Summaries

The Impact of the Entry of Biosimilars: Evidence from Europe

Keywords: by Fiona Scott Morton, Ariel Dora Stern, and Scott Stern; Pharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical

2000
Chapter

In Search of Dynamic Capabilities: The Origins of R&D Competence in Biopharmaceuticals

By: Gary P. Pisano

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Research and Development; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

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January 2023
Case

Cleave Therapeutics: Taking a Risk on Oncology Drug Discovery

By: Regina Herzlinger and Brian Walker

What should a successful executive (HBS Baker Scholar) assess as her next move as the CEO of a firm with a promising and yet uncertain new drug? Amy Burroughs’ mandate to successfully commercialize Cleave Therapeutics’ drug for a cancer with no current successful... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Leadership; Health Testing and Trials; Research and Development; Risk and Uncertainty; Financial Condition; Partners and Partnerships; Pharmaceutical Industry

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