Inovação orientada por necessidades de saúde pública e acesso: o desenvolvimento e a produção local de bens terapêuticos para o sistema único de saúde.

Abstract

This work discusses and compares two initiatives created in Brazil in the 2000s to develop therapeutic products: the antimalarial artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ) and the nucleic acid test (NAT) for blood screening. The ASMQ consortium was established as a response to the absence of artemisinin based combination therapies in the market, despite their recommendation by WHO, whereas the Brazilian NAT consortium intended to develop a solution to incorporate such NAT tests in the blood screening routine of the country as the available tests were very expensive. Thus the main goal of this study is to discuss the opportunities and limits to the production of healthcare technologies in a South country as Brazil, taking into consideration the power asymmetries of the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology market. The abovementioned consortia are alternatives to the hegemonic pharmaceutical development and production model, which is market and profit oriented. The methodology is based on the theoretical and conceptual approaches of the sociology of innovation and the science and technology studies, as well as public policy analysis. The following data were collected and analyzed: i bibliographic and technical material (scientific articles, thesis, technical reports, press articles, government documents; ii patent documents; iii visits and ethnographic work in the technological development sites; iii intereviews with actors from government, industry and researchers involved in the consortia. As a result we expect to contribute to the comprehension on how alternative pharmaceutical development models are constituted in Brazil to address its population s healthcare demands