Rational drug design, the knowledge value chain and bioscience megacentres

Abstract

This paper seeks to trace important shifts and cluster evolution in the healthcare industry. Its key aim is to examine the implications of the rise of science-based clusters for economic geography and related policies. A special focus is biosciences and the rise of ‘biologics’ more generally at the expense of fine chemistry in drug development. The old agglomerations of pharmacy are no longer leaders in knowledge exploration, as universities, research laboratories and medical schools take over research, they are beginning to lose prominence to dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs) in knowledge examination, and retain their most important involvement as financiers and marketers of DBF exploitation knowledge. This has profound geographical as well as industry organisation equilibrium effects. Over-concentration of the bioscientific knowledge value chain has given rise to the new spatial policy practice of developing regional science strategies. Aspects of these are commented upon.

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