Technological capability building in the brazilian pharmaceutical industry

Autores: TORRES, RICARDO L. ; HASENCLEVER, LIA

Veículo: Latin American Business Review (Binghamton, N.Y.), v. 17, p. 223-244

Ano: 2016

Tipo: Periódico

Resumo: This article presents a study of the level of technological capability of national pharmaceutical companies in order to assess their absorptive capacity of foreign technology for producing biological drugs. The research collected primary data through surveys of 24 Brazilian pharmaceutical companies (classified into three categories: state-owned laboratories, private pharmaceutical companies, and start-ups), who answered a closed questionnaire about technological capabilities and learning strategies. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics regarding the type of organization, level of technological competence (basic, intermediate, and advanced), and the nature of technological competence (operational and innovative). The results show that private pharmaceutical companies have a greater capacity to absorb foreign technology due to their previous experience with incremental innovation. In contrast, the state-owned pharmaceutical laboratories lack technological competencies in production and research and development (R&D) and therefore must make veritable “technological leaps” to comply with the demands of Brazil’s Ministry of Health. The start-ups, however, although standing out in terms of the degree of novelty of their technological innovations, lack the complementary assets to exploit economically the results of their R&D and are dependent on local industry to bring new products to market. Regarding technological learning, which requires a more active strategic positioning by the firms, most organizations proved to be dependent on public policies to invest in technological capability building, focusing strictly on incorporating technology for drug production (except for some private pharmaceutical companies), without seeking to advance in technological innovations.

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