Uyen Quach

Introduction: promoting global health through biotechnology.

term ‘health biotechnology’ evokes images of research-intensive universities such as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as initial public offerings on NASDAQ. Ty pically, we don’t think about biotechnology in connection with health solutions for poor people in developing countries. Still, as has been demonstrated in a technology foresight exercise, biotechnology can potentially be applied to a wide spectrum of health problems all over the world 1 .S uccessful research and development in health biotechnology is taking place in several countries that typically are classified as lower income countries or developing countries. With a view to understanding these successes and reproducing them more widely in the developing world, we have undertaken a detailed study of health biotechnology development in seven countries. This supplement reports the results of a 3-year study of health biotechnology innovation systems in Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, South Africa and South Korea. When compared with industrially advanced nations, the seven countries in this study are each at a different stage of economic development, but they can generally be considered ‘innovating developing countries’ (IDCs) 2 . Our objective was to identify and analyze the conditions encouraging successful development of health biotechnologies in developing countries. Ultimately, we want to identify lessons on how these countries have been able to build up capacity in health biotechnology. These lessons can potentially be put to use in other developing countries that so far have not succeeded in promoting biotechnology development, but may also be of relevance to industrially advanced nations. This

Biotechnology patenting takes off in developing countries

We investigated the levels and patterns of biotechnology patenting in several developing countries by examining patents registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database. The results showed, firstly, that developing countries have increased their biotechnology patenting during the period with the leading countries demonstrating inventive strengths in this field. Secondly, whereas in some countries national patenting ownership was high in others it was relatively low, which may limit the ability of the countries to harness their inventions. Thirdly, the research sector has been particularly active in patenting, especially in countries with relatively strong track records in developing biotechnology products, but industrial patenting is still limited in most of the countries studied. Finally, several of the countries we examined have a strong focus on health biotechnology compared to other types of biotechnology in their patenting rates. It remains to be seen if the increased patenting will foster biotechnology innovation.

Coordinating Health Biotechnology Development in Asia

Abstract This paper examines the tensions between health bio-industrial promotion, on the one hand, and public health protection, on the other, in Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Specifically, it focuses on the states role in health technology regulation, bio-ethical mediation, and health technology pricing. In the past, the Asian “developmental” state was very effective in coordinating both public and private sector actors for industrial development. This paper argues, however, that recent efforts in growing their domestic health biotechnology sectors have contributed to new coordination problems for these states, requiring all stakeholders to adapt to the inter-related challenges of regulating and promoting technological development.

Enabling knowledge societies in developing countries: the example of genomics

To address the health needs of developing countries, it is necessary to build and strengthen knowledge societies. By using genomics as an example, we aim to demonstrate that creating effective knowledge societies requires transformative steps and concrete mechanisms. We present four transformative steps towards the development of an expansive outlook regarding equity: developing a global state of mind; promoting long-term self-interests; facilitating public engagement and enhancing the production of Global Public Goods (GPGs) using the example of genomics knowledge. In support of these steps, we identify concrete mechanisms as an action plan using four pragmatic solutions: foresight exercises for identifying needs and prioritising technologies; strengthening capacity and improving access to knowledge in developing countries; defining intellectual property and regulatory concerns for these technologies; and establishing global governance and financial mechanisms.