Technological and strategic change in the Finnish pharmaceutical industry: The emergence of a cluster

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Brännback, Malin | Renko, Maija

Affiliations: Turku School of Economics and Business Administration / Innomarket Rehtorinpellonkatu 3, FIN-20500 Turku, Finland. E-mail: malin.brannback@tukkk.fi; maija.renko@tukkk.fi

Abstract: This paper focuses on the developments within the Finnish pharmaceutical industry during the past five years and the future prospects. We study the change in industry structure and the emergence of a Finnish Pharmacluster. The study of the Finnish pharmaceutical industry reflects the developments and changes in the technology base and business strategies in the international pharmaceutical industry. The paper suggests that the emergence of virtual operation modes is the result of the structural change process, driven by a technological paradigm shift, taken place within pharmaceuticals for the past two decades. Evidence is provided based on a one-year research project on the Finnish pharmaceutical industry.

Keywords: pharmaceutical industry, strategic change, virtual organizations, Finnish Pharmacluster

Journal: Pharmaceuticals, Policy and Law, vol. 5, no. 0, pp. 27-40, 2002