Cambridge, MA, October 8, 2009: The first in a series of lectures sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard about Institutional Corruption.
“Institutional corruption” does not refer to any violation of existing rules or laws. Rather it refers to “a certain kind of influence, within an economy of influence, that has a certain effect”.
An activity is considered institutional corruption if it weakens the effectiveness of an institution, and/or weakens public trust in that institution. Institutional corruption is rife within the pharmaceutical industry and its regulatory agencies.
The Three Levels of Institutional Corruption:
1) Lobbying efforts and political contributions.
2) Through the application of industry pressure
3) Commercializing the role of doctors

Sources:
https://jme.bmj.com/content/37/4/249.abstract?sid=905cb3bc-a961-4710-8544-5f0509a6b599
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/181772
http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2013/09/10/richard-smith-is-the-pharmaceutical-industry-like-the-mafia/