Prior literature has established a link between changes in market size and pharmaceutical innovation; whether a link exists with scientific research remains an open question. If upstream research is not responsive to these changes, the kinds of scientific discoveries that flow into future drug...

We explore how firms respond to downstream product shocks. We find that affected firms increase R&D and make additional safety-related investments in their existing assets-in-place. These investments vary with firm capabilities and across shock severity. Competitors appear to vicariously learn...