Avaliação da parceria entre indústria farmacêutica e universidade como estratégia para a inovação de medicamentos no Brasil

Abstract

Innovation is the keyword for the pharmaceutical sector. Strategically, innovation in product is pivotal for companies to continue to be competitive in this sector, which is deemed as essentially science-based. Brazil is one of the greatest markets in the world in medicine sales, but presents little innovation, increasing expenses with health in the country. Due to the high risks and costs inherent to this kind of innovation, countries considered innovation-driven, such as the USA, commonly establish partnerships between pharmaceutical companies and universities for achieving new therapeutic options; in Brazil, this strategy is little used, though some actions in this field have already brought good results in the area. Deemed as a milestone, the Innovation Law, together with other initiatives of economic subvention, is seen by the Ministry of Health as the great strategic promise in the field of drugs and medicines. Through exploratory research, the current study investigated the impact of the Innovation Act in the sector and how pharmaceutical industries evaluate universities as strategic partners for medicine research and development. Through questionnaires sent to private pharmaceutical companies and to Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica (Centers for Technological Innovation) (NITs), the results enabled to ponder about the relation among industry, government, and university in the promotion of medicine innovation in Brazil. Aspects related to the management model to be stimulated, the influence of governmental initiatives, criteria considered by companies for creating these partnerships, as well as activities that must be developed by NITs for the success of this type of alliance, are discussed in the present survey.