Crowdsourcing Development as a New Challenge for Russian Pharmaceutical Companies

Abstract

Crowdsourcing is a 21st-century technique that allows the creation of a unique product, which can be challenging to implement within a single enterprise or industry. The attitude to this technique in the Russian pharmaceutical industry is ambiguous. The article aims to theoretically and empirically study the development of crowdsourcing in Russian pharmaceutical companies and identify the attitude of specialists of the relevant profile towards crowdsourcing. The authors study the use of crowdsourcing in foreign drug development companies and analyze its relevance and applicability in the Russian context. The authors identify the reasons for the rejection of crowdsourcing in the area, such as the lack of regulatory mechanisms, peculiarities of pharmaceutical development, organization of the production of medicines, etc. The article considers approaches to solving the problem, presents the results of a survey of chemical and pharmaceutical specialists, and highlights the main difficulties in applying the technique in the field of drug development, namely, the possible non-compliance with industry standards, unreliable data, non-compliance with copyrights, etc. The authors identify the following solutions — ensuring the openness of Russian pharmaceutical companies, clearly defining the scope of crowdsourcing, the degree of responsibility, opportunities, and levels of involvement of the external audience, and regulating the rights and obligations of project participants. The article concludes with the expediency of using the technique in the context of the innovative activity of an enterprise. Crowdsourcing can be a valuable tool for interdisciplinary research in drug development and the development of the entire healthcare industry.