The open source model provides a valuable framework for collective knowledge production and dissemination. Mirroring the efforts of the open source community that developed Linux, open biopharmaceutical initiatives are enabling companies to access knowledge-based resources critical to drug development. The objective of these initiatives is to preserve the downstream technological opportunities for multiple firms.
As economies in emerging markets enter the biopharmaceutical arena, it is essential that developed economies share not only technological expertise, but also their experiences regarding knowledge production and dissemination. The goals should be to assist these economies to participate on a level playing field with respect to market entry and product development, to protect local knowledge, and ensure fair access to global knowledge as well as technology. Maintaining and building the public domain with particular attention to knowledge that is of benefit to these economies can allow researchers to quickly and cost-effectively access knowledge.
In this paper, two models are developed to understand how open source strategic alliances and open licensing can be used as modes of entry into the biopharmaceutical industry by firms in emerging markets. Case examples and qualitative data are both used to provide a basis for these models
