Public-private partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector: an exploratory investigation of the European Union experience

Abstract

This short term internship at the Department of Development Studies at the London School of Economics is focused on complementing the postdoctoral study on the Economic-Health Industry Complex in Brazil and was considered in the postdoctoral proposal financed by Fapesp. It will take up to one month and will offer an opportunity collect data from a developed country experience with public and private partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector. Also, I will be able to explore literature about theories and methods in the science, technology and health fields within an interdisciplinary department. While Brazil is focused on public and private partnerships aiming for the production of bio-similar products (generic versions of biotech products), the United States (US) and European Union (EU) are interested in novel pharmaceutical products such as developing antibiotics to treat resistant bacteria. Surprisingly, in the US and Brazil these strategies are promoted by agencies that are responsible for health surveillance or health care (the Food and Drug Administration and Ministry of Health, respectively) whereas in the EU this process is under the responsibility of the Directorate-General of Research. Why would these health/research governmental agencies be interested in such industrial modernization efforts? This qualitative study will be focused on collection data from the European experience and will explore occurrences, motivations and institutional mechanisms that have channeled these policies as well as overall consequences to public health. The findings will contribute to the investigation in Brazil and, more generally, to a better understanding of the process for developing pharmaceutical industrial policy and its consequences for public health.