Correspondence: Alexander (Sascha) K. Nussbaum, Küngenmatt 16 CH–8055, Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: saschakn@gmail.com

¹holds a PhD in Biochemistry/Immunology from the University of Tübingen, Germany. As a postdoctoral fellow, he studied immune responses to viruses, cancer and vaccines at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA, and the Curie Institut, Paris, France. He has co-authored 20 peer-reviewed publications and received research prizes by the German and French Societies of Immunology. In 2008, he joined Centocor B.V. (Johnson & Johnson) as Clinical Scientist Rheumatology and recently finished a Master of Marketing, Management & Communication at Toulouse Business School (ESCT), France.

Received 8 December 2008; Revised 8 December 2008.

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry is among the most admired and most criticised of all. This dichotomy stems from the fact that the industry, on the one hand, provides cure to life-threatening disease, but is incapable of providing cure to everyone at affordable prices. The most ardent critics of the industry demand no less than fulfilling this unique ethical mandate. Some years ago, the pharmaceutical industry started flirting with the fairly young and attractive concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the two have been a fairly stable couple ever since. However, where is their relationship going? This review summarises the potential and limits of CSR, examines case studies and discusses the features of successful CSR actions in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, future trends in CSR and current challenges are identified. In conclusion, the couple pharmaceutical industry and CSR appears to hold all the keys in their hands to steer their relationship into more romantic waters.