Innovation and misconduct in the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract

The relationships between innovation and firm misconduct have received little attention. We contribute to advancing understanding of misconduct in several ways. First, we find support for previous research on firm misconduct that finds that strain can contribute to unethical firm behavior. Theoretically, our contribution provides evidence in support of the novel idea that strain that results from innovation deficits promotes misconduct. We also contribute to the growing literature on ethical organizational cultures by providing evidence linking weak ethical cultures in the pharmaceutical industry with increased harm to patients. A large body of non-quantitative literature argues that many pharmaceutical firms engage in misconduct in order to promote sales and overcome innovation deficits. We find support for the conclusion that misconduct constitutes a substitute for all measurable categories of drug innovation.