At least throughout developed countries, the pharmaceutical industry is in the midst of a period of doubts, reflexion and propositions for change concerning the inextricable link between its economic structure and its political ordering. - From the angle of industrial economics and the business models of firms, the end of the 'blockbuster era' -caused by a plateau in scientific innovation and increased competition from generics- has yet to give rise to a replacement wherein biotechnologies, personalized medicines and preventive clinical practice might eventually herald a new set of parameters; - At the same time, this disruption of the economy of pharmaceuticals has in part of course been caused by decisions by collective and public bodies that have led to greater competition through the lifting of barriers to international trade and encouraging the substitution of off-patented drugs by generics. Whether these measures have been the result of neoliberal ideology, or simply of a drive to cut the ever-rising costs of health care, the consequence has been a challenge to the capacity of large pharmaceutical companies ('Big Pharma') to demand that public and collective bodies reward all the 'innovations' they seek to put on the market (Montalban, 2007 & 2008)...Read less <