ABSTRACT
The Pharmaceutical Industry has been undergoing a major transformation since the heady days of 'Big Pharma' in the 1970s and 1980s. Patent expiry, the rise of generics, and the decline of the blockbuster drug have all changed the landscape over the last 10-15 years. The boom of the Pharmaceutical Industry from the 1950s to the 1980s was driven largely by research-based companies coming up with blockbuster drugs, controlling blood sugar and getting rid of infections. Biopharmaceuticals, also referred to as 'biologics', emerged in the early 1980s and 1990s as an alternative starting point to chemical synthesis for the development of new drugs. The chapter focuses on three main topics: the evolution of the pharmaceutical value chain, how the KM Framework that relates to the Pharmaceutical Industry, the impact that the changing pharmaceutical business model is having on Knowledge Management.
