What drives pharmaceutical innovation and knowledge exchange ? A study supporting the use of Knowledge Management within the pharmaceutical industry

Innovation is a key driver of the pharmaceutical company, from an initial discovery of a compound to the final development of a marketable and novel medicine, the web of processes to reach a viable end stage requires innovative behaviour backed by accurate knowledge. This paper analyses the use, importance and sources of knowledge within the drug development process and suggests that a pharmaceutical Knowledge Management strategy should not only address capturing the knowledge within the drug processes, but also the knowledge held within the social networks of the organisation.