Publications
Publications
- 2021
- HBS Working Paper Series
Eradicating Helicobacter Pylori Infections to Treat Ulcers: Case Histories of Significant Medical Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
Abstract
We describe how a chance discovery of bacteria that infect stomach linings completely changed how physicians treat ulcers. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) two Australian physicians brought the bacterial infection to the world’s attention and challenged the conventional view that stomach acidity caused ulcers; 2) a global community of researchers helped corroborate the Australians’ findings and developed convenient tests and effective treatments; and 3) these tests and treatments were gradually, but not immediately, adopted.
Keywords
Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms
Citation
Bhidé, Amar, Srikant M. Datar, and Katherine Stebbins. "Eradicating Helicobacter Pylori Infections to Treat Ulcers: Case Histories of Significant Medical Advances." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-006, July 2019. (Revised May 2021.)