Research and development: related pages

The addition to the balance sheet as an asset of an amount that could otherwise have been treated as an expense.

Exchange rights to patent portfolios, which reduces litigation and R & D costs, while simultaneously erecting barriers to entry.

Drug pipeline

The drugs a pharmaceutical company is developing testing. This includes completely new drugs, variants of old drugs and new applications of old drugs.

Intangible assets

Assets that do not have a definite form. They include goodwill, patents, trademarks and capitalised development costs.

Intellectual property

Patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Orphan Drugs

A designation that gives pharmaceutical companies additional incentives to develop particular drugs, usually for rare diseases.

Sales, general and administrative costs

Overheads or administrative overheads; usually the most important element of operating costs; largely fixed costs with some variable elements.