The sale of ideas (e.g. through licensing) facilitates vertical specialization and the division of labor between research and development. This specialization can improve the overall efficiency of the innovative process. However, these gains depend on the timing of the sale: the buyer of an idea...

The pharmaceutical industry has an outstanding record of innovative performance over the past 50 years. The R&D process has become more knowledge-based and a market for innovation has emerged between research start-ups, development-stage firms, and the larger, multinational companies. At the...