Exploring the connection between R&D and supply chain management in the branded ethical pharmaceutical sector

Abstract

This investigation, in the field and in the literature, aimed to describe how SCM functions in terms of new product R&D in the ethical branded pharmaceutical industry. The literature review revealed little extant research on SCM practices in this sector; it also revelead the potential benefits of a tight linkage between R&D and SCM. This, in turn, prompted this study's central research question: To what extent is SCM considered by R&D within the branded ethical pharmaceutical industry?