Dr. Gagnon’s empirical research focuses on the political economy of the pharmaceutical sector: business models, innovation policies, corporate influence over medical practices, health and drug insurance regimes.
From a more theoretical standpoint, his research analyzes capital accumulation and corporate competition in terms of how firms capitalize not only their productive capacity but also their capacities and their business network powers to influence laws, public policies, culture and socio-institutional settings in order to accrue monopolistic differential gains.
From a more theoretical standpoint, his research analyzes capital accumulation and corporate competition in terms of how firms capitalize not only their productive capacity but also their capacities and their business network powers to influence laws, public policies, culture and socio-institutional settings in order to accrue monopolistic differential gains.
Marc-André Gagnon
Associate Professor
CV: View
Political economy;social and health policy; pharmaceutical policy; innovation policy; science and technology studies; history of economic thought
- Brief Biography
BA in Political Science (Université du Québec à Montréal)
Certificate in Economics (Université du Québec à Montréal)
MA in Political Science (Université du Québec à Montréal)
Master of Advanced Studies in Economics (ENS Fontenay/St-Cloud and Université Paris-I Sorbonne)
PhD in Political Science (York University)Dr. Gagnon’s empirical research focuses on the political economy of the pharmaceutical sector: business models, innovation policies, corporate influence over medical practices, health and drug insurance regimes.
From a more theoretical standpoint, his research analyzes capital accumulation and corporate competition in terms of how firms capitalize not only their productive capacity but also their capacities and their business network powers to influence laws, public policies, culture and socio-institutional settings in order to accrue monopolistic differential gains.
I am a political economist, which means that I take the power dimension in the economy seriously. Markets do not emerge naturally out of thin air as institutions maximizing social welfare due to the absence of state intervention. Markets are social and political creatures; they are the products of a complex political and regulatory process involving a diversity of agents working at influencing that process according to their interests, and determining the forms and details of each market.
In many markets, the financial incentives are not aligned with the desired social outcomes, creating incentives for dominant actors to obtain net gains at high costs and risks for the rest of the community. The pharmaceutical sector, where profitability depends more on marketing strategies than on therapeutic innovation, is in many ways a poster child of such a market. It is the role of public policy to understand the flaws in each market and find ways to re-align financial incentives and desirable social outcomes.
Honours
- Public Commentary Award, Faculty of Public Affairs, Carleton University, 2015
- Ethel Meade Award for Excellence in Healthcare Research, from Ontario Health Coalition, 2014
- “Rising Star Award” from the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, 2010
- Yumiko Iida Memorial PhD Prize for best dissertation in political science, 2010
- Excellence Award by the Union of Lecturers at University of Montreal, 2008
Academic Leadership
Active Initiatives
- Journal Articles
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- Testoni FE, García Carrillo M, Gagnon M-A, Rikap C, Blaustein M. “Whose shoulders is health research standing on? Determining the key actors and contents of the prevailing biomedical research agenda.” Plos ONE 16(4): p.e0249661 (April 2021) United States: Public Library of Science
- Lexchin J, Bero LA, Davis C, Gagnon MA.“Achieving greater independence from commercial influence in research” BMJ 372: n370 (March 2021)
- Gagnon MA. “Understanding the Battle for Universal Pharmacare in Canada; Comment on “Universal Pharmacare in Canada”.” International Journal of Health Policy and Management 10(3): pp.168-171 (March 2021) Iran: Kerman University of Medical Sciences
- Gagnon MA “SCo-pay cards in Canada: Improving choice or Institutionalizing bribes.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 191(45): E1235-E1236 (November 2019) Ottawa: Joule Inc
- Deborah Gleeson, Joel Lexchin, Ronald Labonte, Belinda Townsend, MA Gagnon, Jillian Kohler, Lisa Forman and Ken Shadle. “Analysing the impact of trade and investment agreements on pharmaceutical policy: provisions, pathways and potential impacts.” Globalization and Health 15(1): pp. 1-17 (November 2019) England: BioMed Central Ltd
- Charbonneau, Mathieu, and Marc-André Gagnon. “Surviving Niche Busters: Main Strategies Employed by Canadian Private Insurers Facing the Arrival of High Cost Specialty Drugs.” Health policy (Amsterdam) 122(12): pp. 1295–1301 (December 2018) Ireland: Elsevier B.V.
- Lexchin, J, JC Kohler, MA Gagnon, J Crombie, P Thacker, A Shnier “Combating Corruption in the Pharmaceutical Arena.” Indian journal of medical ethics 3(3): pp. 234–239 (July 2018) India
- Morgan, Steven G, Marc-André Gagnon, Mathieu Charbonneau, Alain Vadeboncoeur. “Evaluating the Effects of Quebec’s Private-Public Drug Insurance System.” Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) 189(40): pp. E1259–E1263 (November 2017) Canada: Joule Inc.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, and Karena D Volesky. “Merger Mania: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Generic Drug Sector from 1995 to 2016.” Globalization and health 13(62): pp. 1-7 (August 2017) England: BioMed Central Ltd.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “The Role and Impact of Cost-Sharing Mechanisms for Prescription Drug Coverage.” Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) 189(19): pp. E680-E681 (May 2017)Canada: Canadian Medical Association.
- Morgan, Steven G et al. “A Better Prescription: Advice for a National Strategy on Pharmaceutical Policy in Canada.” Healthcare policy 12(1): pp.18-36 (August 2016) Canada: Longwoods Publishing.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “New drug pricing: does it make any sense?.” Prescrire international vol. 24(162): pp. 192-195 (July 2015) Association mieux prescrire. PMID: 26237844
- O’Brady, Sean, Marc-André Gagnon and Alan Cassels “Reforming private drug coverage in Canada: inefficient drug benefit design and the barriers to change in unionized settings.” Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands) vol. 119(2): pp. 224-231 (February 2015) Elsevier
- Gagnon, Marc-André and Dimitri della Faille, 2014. “Thorstein Veblen: Économiste Iconoclaste.” European Journal of Economic and Social Systems. Vol. 26(1-2): pp.11-30 (2014) Hermes Science Publications. ISSN: 1292-8909
- Prémont, Marie-Claude, and Marc-André Gagnon. “Trois Types de Stratégies Des Fabricants Pour La Fidélisation Aux Médicaments de Marque.” Healthcare policy 10(2): pp. 79-89 (November 2014) Longwoods Publishing.
- Lexchin, Joel, and Marc-André Gagnon. “CETA and Pharmaceuticals: Impact of the Trade Agreement Between Europe and Canada on the Costs of Prescription Drugs.” Globalization and health 10(1): pp. 30–30 (May 2014) England: BioMed Central Ltd.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “Corruption of Pharmaceutical Markets: Addressing the Misalignment of Financial Incentives and Public Health.” The Journal of law, medicine & ethics 41(3): pp. 571–580 (September 2013) Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “Corporate influence over clinical research: Considering the alternatives.” Prescrire International 21(129): pp.191-194 (July 2012) Association mieux prescrire. PMID: 22852295
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “Drug Shortages: Searching for a Cure.” Healthcare policy 7(4): pp. 10–17 (May 2012) Canada: Longwoods Publishing.
- Marc-André Gagnon. “L’aide Financière à L’industrie Pharmaceutique Québécoise : Le Jeu En Vaut-Il La Chandelle?” Interventions Économiques pour une Alternative Sociale 44: pp.1-17 (November 2012) Association d’Economie Politique.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2011. “Marx’s social analysis of value and Big Pharma. Rethinking the social determinants of value in cognitive capitalism,” European Journal of Economic and Social Systems 24(1-2): pp. 119-136. Lavoisier.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “Le modèle de croissance anglo-saxon en théorie et en pratique. Analyse du régime de croissance américain.” Cahiers de recherche sociologique 45: pp. 93–111 (January 2008) Liber
- Gagnon, Marc-André, and Joel Lexchin. “The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States.” PLoS medicine 5(1): (January 2008) San Francisco, USA: Public Library of Science.
- Gagnon, Marc-André. “Capital, Power and Knowledge According to Thorstein Veblen: Reinterpreting the Knowledge-Based Economy.” Journal of economic issues 41(2): pp. 593–600 (June 2007) Lincoln: Routledge.
- Marc-André Gagnon. “Penser Le Capitalisme Cognitif Selon Thorstein Veblen ; Connaissance, Pouvoir & Capital.” Interventions Économiques pour une Alternative Sociale 36 (October 2007) Association d’Economie Politique.
- Marc-André Gagnon, and Dimitri della Faille. “La Sociologie Économique de Thorstein Veblen ; Pertinences et Impertinences D’une Pensée à Contre-Courant.” Interventions Économiques pour une Alternative Sociale 36 (October 2007).
Association d’Economie Politique. - Dimitri della Faille, and Marc-André Gagnon. “Héritage et Nouvelles Perspectives Pour Les Sciences Sociales.” Interventions Économiques pour une Alternative Sociale 36: pp. 1-12 (October 2007) Association d’Economie Politique. ISSN: 0715-3570
- Gagnon, Marc-André “Frank Zappa: Présentation d’un Intellectuel Spécifique” Conjonctures (29): pp. 118-145.
- Refereed Book Chapters
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- Gagnon, MA, 2021. “Ghost management as a central feature of accumulation in corporate capitalism: the case of the global pharmaceutical sector”. Chapter from Marlène Benquet and Théo Bourgeron (ed.) Accumulating Capital Today: Contemporary Strategies of Profit and Dispossessive Policies. New York: Routledge: pp.163-177.
- Gagnon, MA, Matthew Herder, Janice Graham, Katherine Fierlbeck and Anna Danyliuk, 2021. “Clinical trial data transparency in Canada: Mapping the Progress from Laggard to Leader”. Chapter from Katherine Fierlbeck, Janice Graham and Matthew Herder (eds.) Transparency, Power, and Influence in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Toronto: University of Toronto Press: pp. 114-128.
- Gagnon, MA, 2021. “The Political Economy of Influence; Ghost-management in the Pharmaceutical Sector”. Chapter from Katherine Fierlbeck, Janice Graham and Matthew Herder (eds.) Transparency, Power, and Influence in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Toronto: University of Toronto Press: pp. 159-183.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2017. « Financing the Public Provision of Prescription Drugs in Canada: Comparison and Assessment of Financing Options » in Katherine Graham and Allan Maslove (eds) How Ottawa Spends 2017-2018; Canada@150. Ottawa: Carleton University, October 2017.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2016. “Shaping the social determinants of value through economic ghostmanagement: an institutionalist approach to capital accumulation.” Published in Tae-Hee Jo and Frederic S. Lee (eds). Marx, Veblen, and the Foundations of Heterodox Economics: Essays in Honor of John F. Henry. London and New York: Routledge.
- Gagnon, Marc-André (principal author) and Dimitri della Faille, 2013. “Thorstein Veblen: Economista Iconoclasta.” Published in P.P. Poggio (dir.) L’altronovecento. Comunismo eretico e pensiero critico. Vol 3: Il Capitalismo Americano E I Suoi Critici. Milano: Jaca Book.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2012. “Les Droits de Propriété Intellectuelle sont-ils un écueil pour la modernité industrielle? La cas des brevets dans l’industrie pharmaceutique” in Marie-Pierre Boucher (dir.) La Propriété et ses Multiples. Montreal : Nota Bene: 201-250.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2004. “La main visible de la propriété intellectuelle contre l’intérêt général: Les formes disciplinaires du néolibéralisme,” in La Régulation Néolibérale: Crise ou ajustement?” Edited by Raphael Canet and Jules Duchastel. Montreal: Athéna Éditions; pp.175-200.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2002. “Mercantilisme,” in Relations Internationales: Théories et Concepts. Ed. Évelyne Dufault, Guillaume Dufour, and Alex MacLeod. Montréal: Athéna Éditions; 128-130.
- Gagnon, Marc-André, 2000. “Les réseaux de l’internationalisme statistique (1885-1914),” in Jean-Pierre Beaud and Jean-Guy Prévost (dir.) L’ère des chiffres: systèmes statistiques et traditions nationales. Québec: Presses de l’Université du Québec; 181-220.
Lecture and Interview Videos
Media coverage
SPPA News
Insight Grant 2021: Ghost-Management and Fake News
Lead investigator for a SSHRC Insight Grant Catalyst (2021-2026)
Research Topic: Ghost-management in the pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical sectors: Dynamics and implications for Canadian political economy.
Co-investigators: Louise Vandelac (UQAM); Sergio Sismondo (Queens U); Kean Birch (York U).
Collaborators: Cecilia Rikap, Paul Thacker, Catherine Riva and Serena Tinari.
With additional funding from the Initiative for Digital Citizen Research to support the goals of the Government of Canada’s approach to protecting democracy and combatting disinformation and other online harms.
For more info about this project, click here.
Fellow with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector
The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) for Governance, Accountability, and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector was established in 2015 at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Led by Jillian Kohler, a recognized global expert on corruption and governance in the pharmaceutical system, along with Techinical Director Dierdre Dimancesco based at the WHO and supported by renowned scholars at the University of Toronto, Carelton University and the University of San Diego, this centre is charged with conducting research, analysis, and training on critical issues related to good governance and transparency in medicines.
For more info about this project, click here.
2021
- June 17. 2021
Pourquoi le Canada n’a-t-il pas le contrôle de ses vaccins contre la COVID-19? (Radio-Canada) - May 15. 2021
What is the Dominant Biomedical Research Agenda and Industry’s Massive Influence (Buzz Sprout, Causes and Cures Podcast) - May 6. 2021
Canada to take part in talks over COVID-19 vaccine patent waivers, but won’t state its position (Globe and Mail) - March 18, 2021
White House says U.S. plans to send 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada (CBC) - February 27, 2021
Column: COVID-19 vaccine task force transparency crucial (The Sudbury Star) - February 12, 2021
Momentum grows for vaccine technology-sharing as shortages worsen (Globe and Mail) - February 3, 2021
Was the global vaccine race inevitable? (Politico) - February 3, 2021
Montreal’s new vaccine plant will be late, but useful, observers say (Montreal Gazette) - January 28, 2021
The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Jan. 28 (CBC) - January 27, 2021
Canadian politicians struggle to come to grips with the global vaccine race Social Sharing (CBC) - January 18, 2021
Lack of Collaboration Slows Vaccine Research (FPA News)
2020
- November 12, 2020
Guidelines governing Canadian doctors’ relationships with pharma companies under review (Carleton Newsroom) - October 14, 2020
‘I never saw stars before’: Gene therapy brings back 8-year-old Canadian boy’s sight (CTV News) - October 8, 2020
Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force needs better transparency about potential conflicts of interest (Carleton Newsroom) - September 29, 2020
Big Pharma Backs Joe Biden, But People Don’t Think He’ll Fix Drug Pricing (Newsweek) - September 11, 2020
Big Pharma’s Game of Control (The American Prospect) - April 7, 2020
Coronavirus: Encadrer la course aux traitements (Radio-Canada) - January 10, 2020
What needs to change in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry (CTV News)
2019
- November 11, 2019
Brand-name drug discount cards force Canada’s private-insurance plans to spend nearly 50 per cent more, study shows (Globe and Mail) - October 24, 2019
FPA Celebrates Democracy with 2019 Election Party (FPA News) - October 3, 2019
National pharmacare debate alive and well in Canada. But will it happen? (Global News) - August 4, 2019
Canadians Respond To U.S. Medication Import Plans (KRUC) - July 31, 2019
Shortages feared as U.S. looks to Canada for cheaper prescription drugs (CBC) - April 29, 2019
Unfinished business: Time for a national Pharmacare system (The Lindsay Advocate) - March 3, 2019
Médicaments : Facturer trois fois ses honoraires pour un seul et même geste (Radio-Canada) - February 9, 2019
U.S. PhRMA’s fight to prevent lower Canadian drug prices (CBC) - February 4, 2019
Just price for drugs: the eleventh hour (The Hill Times)
2018
- November 24, 2018
Canada has found the key to lowering drug prices, but it won’t be used any time soon (CBC) - November 14, 2018
Les ratés de l’assurance-médicaments au Québec (Radio-Canada) - November 8, 2018
Opioïdes: Le marketing d’une épidémie (Radio-Canada) - September 6, 2018
How to make medicine more accessible (Inquirer) - July 18, 2018
Should employers share potential tax burden for pharmacare? (Benefits Canada) - May 23, 2018
The history of why Canada’s health care system falls short (Macleans) - April 20, 2018
Are cures bad for the drug business? (CBC) - March 26, 2018
Number of people using catastrophic drug coverage has tripled, Ontario study finds (CBC) - February 3, 2018
The real story behind the sudden drop in Canada’s drug prices (CBC) - February 2, 2018
MPs mum about possibility of national drug plan (CBC) - January 6, 2018
New contender for world’s most expensive drug costs $850,000 US (CBC)
2017
- December 13, 2017
The missing Alzheimer’s pill (Politico) - November 30, 2017
La bonne gouvernance et la lutte contre la corruption dans le secteur de la santé (L’Économste) - November 16, 2017
Médicaments: Pourquoi payons-nous si cher? (Québec Science) - March 29, 2017
Popping pills: Do study drugs actually affect academic performance? (The Charlatan)
2016
- March 31, 2016
Speaking Unpopular Truths: Kevin Page and Munir Sheikh (FPA News) - March 14, 2016
Effective Public Policy: Carleton Experts Talk about How it’s Done (Carleton Newsroom) - March 7, 2016
Pensioenfondsen blokkeren prijsverlaging levensreddend medicijn (BNNVARA) - February 29, 2016
Marc-André Gagnon (FPA News)
2015
- September 28, 2015
Here’s one fix for high drug prices (CNN Business) - April 22, 2015
Drug companies using doctors, discount cards to skirt generic substitutions (CBC) - April 9, 2015
FPA Celebrates Outstanding Faculty and Staff (FPA News)
2014
- March 10, 2014
New provincial drug plan premiums too high, expert says (CBC)
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