Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Penicillin: The Miracle Drug

Bruner, Robert F.;...

Case

Penicillin: The Miracle Drug

Bruner, Robert F.; Carr, Sean; Bojanski, Michael; Hogan, Sean; Shepherdson, Will

ENT-0234 | Published December 21, 2022 | 20 pages. Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

This case is a study of the initial discovery of penicillin and how it came to be a mass-market product. The discovery of penicillin is fascinating first and foremost because of its direct, life-saving benefits and because of the context of World War II that surrounded its rise. Throughout the case, an argument is made for the importance of this invention not only for the society of the 1940s, but for our society today. Students are introduced to a handful of the individuals and institutions involved in the discovery and development of the technology, providing them with the information necessary to consider the people, institutions, and other factors that led to the drug’s success. Students consider especially the role of intellectual property during penicillin’s rise to success, as well as the cultural and legal differences between Britain and the United States related to the patenting of medical discoveries.

This case is intended to introduce the students to the complex situations and processes involved in bringing one of the most important medical discoveries in human history to the mass market. Students focus especially on what it takes to bring an innovation to life, including (1) the role of luck in invention, (2) the role of the individual inventor and whether they are essential, (3) the effect of institutions and systems in bringing a discovery to market, (4) the effect of the availability of capital on the evaluation of risk and an individual’s or company’s willingness to invest, (5) what constitutes value in this context and who deserves to receive it, (6) the arc of discovery to mass acceptance, and (7) what types of information flows encourage invention and how patents affect the flow of information. The case also creates the opportunity for the instructor to raise ethical questions specifically around medical innovations.