Strategic evaluations and techno-economic networks. Vaccine innovation in the Cuban biotech sector: for public health – or for profits?

In this paper the Cuban biotech sector with its highly integrated vaccine industry is analyzed in the perspective of the techno-economic network model of Michel Callon. The paper discusses the strategic evaluations that have been performed in the sector. Given the emphasis on public health displayed by the Cuban government and the precarious condition of the Cuban economy (at least during the last 20 years), the strategic evaluations could be seen as an articulation of the (sometimes conflicting) interests of public health and commercialism. The main issue to be discussed in the present paper is how interests related to public health and economic considerations are articulated and balanced in the strategic evaluations that have been made in the Cuban biotech sector. There is a focus on the vaccine related activities of the sector, which will be loosely referred to as the Cuban vaccine industry. This is the first of two papers about the Cuban bitoech sector and vaccine industry.Innovation systems, techno-economic networks, Cuba, vaccines, biotechnology

Development, organization and management of techno-economic networks: the Cuban biotech sector and vaccine industry

This paper, the second out of two about the Cuban biotech sector and vaccine industry, gives an account of the creation, organization, and management mechanisms of the technoeconomic networks of the Cuban biotech sector and vaccine industry, by applying the concept of techno-economic evaluations developed by Michel Callon. It also seeks to explain the apparent paradox about shifting the emphasis of the biotech sector from that of targeting a ‘modern’ disease pattern to that of a’ traditional’ one that was identified in the first paper. Centralized and participatory decision making processes seem to facilitate close coordination and cooperation between the different research and development centers. The paper also inquires into the relation between the biotech sector and the national System for Science and Technological Innovation.Innovation systems, techno-economic networks, Cuba, vaccines, biotechnology

Insights into Early Stage of Antibiotic Development in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Survey of Targets, Costs, and Durations

Antibiotic innovation has dwindled to dangerously low levels in the past 30 years. Since resistance continues to evolve, this innovation deficit can have perilous consequences on patients. A number of new incentives have been suggested to stimulate greater antibacterial drug innovation. To design effective solutions, a greater understanding is needed of actual antibiotic discovery and development costs and timelines. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) undertake most discovery and early phase development for antibiotics and other drugs. This paper attempts to gather a better understanding of SMEs’ targets, costs, and durations related to discovery and early phase development of antibacterial therapies

Antibiotic research and development: business as usual?

This article contends that poor economic incentives are an important reason for the lack of new drugs and explains how the DRIVE-AB intends to change the landscape by harnessing the expertise, motivation and diversity of its partner

Actor-networks, interests and boundary objects in the Cuban biotechnology sector and vaccine industry

Presented at the GLOBELICS 6th International Conference 2008 22-24 September, Mexico City, Mexico.Which social and political interests have been influential in the creation of the Cuban biotechnology sector? Is it the needs of the national public health system that are being served, is it scientific knowledge production that is given priority, or are commercialization and generation of export earnings the primary objectives? And how are potentially diverging interests mediated and articulated, and how are such controversies settled and resolved? This paper is a first approximation to these questions. It turns out that the conceptual toolbox of field of innovation system studies is poorly developed for studying such issues, so by way of a criticism of the lack of agency and interest perspectives in the concept of 'institutions' in innovation system studies an alternative theoretical framework is developed based on actor-network theory. A second field work in Cuba is being planned, and the objective of this paper is to identify some research strategies for that field work

Insights into early stage of antibiotic development in small- and medium-sized enterprises: : a survey of targets, costs, and durations

Background Antibiotic innovation has dwindled to dangerously low levels in the past 30 years. Since resistance continues to evolve, this innovation deficit can have perilous consequences on patients. A number of new incentives have been suggested to stimulate greater antibacterial drug innovation. To design effective solutions, a greater understanding is needed of actual antibiotic discovery and development costs and timelines. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) undertake most discovery and early phase development for antibiotics and other drugs. This paper attempts to gather a better understanding of SMEs’ targets, costs, and durations related to discovery and early phase development of antibacterial therapies. Methods DRIVE-AB, a project focused on developing new economic incentives to stimulate antibacterial innovation, held a European stakeholder meeting in February 2015. All SMEs invited to this meeting (n = 44) were subsequently sent a survey to gather more data regarding their areas of activity, completed and expected development costs and timelines, and business models. Results Twenty-five companies responded to the survey. Respondents were primarily small companies each focusing on developing 1 to 3 new antibiotics, focused on pathogens of public health importance. Most have not yet completed any clinical trials. They have reported ranges of discovery and development out-of-pocket costs that appear to be less expensive than other studies of general pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) costs. The duration ranges reported for completing each phase of R&D are highly variable when compared to previously published general pharmaceutical innovation average durations. However, our sample population is small and may not be fully representative of all relevant antibiotic SMEs. Conclusions The data collected by this study provide important insights and estimates about R&D in European SMEs focusing on antibiotics, which can be combined with other data to design incentives to stimulate antibacterial innovation. The variation implies that costs and durations are difficult to generalize due to the unique characteristics of each antibiotic project and depend on individual business strategies and circumstances