ABSTRACT

This article seeks to deepen the understanding of sustained competitive advantages built through strategies of R&D investments, and patents and trademarks registrations by Big Pharma, within the framework of the three main activity clusters related to dynamic capabilities: sensing, seizing, and transforming. The use of this framework contributes to the comprehension of the strategies of R&D, patents, and trademarks by Big Pharma in creating sustained competitive advantages and in the endurance and stability of these companies as industry leaders. The identification of R&D opportunities emerging from the public sector, the ability to leverage identified opportunities through organizational competencies and consistent strategies for resource transformation – such as evergreening –, and brand building have been recognized as significant components of the dynamic capabilities of the firms that enable the creation and maintenance of sustained competitive advantages.

KEYWORDS:
Big Pharma; Dynamic capabilities; Intangible assets