Drugmakers seek to innovate in partnership with community

Intrinsically dependent on innovation, some pharmaceutical companies have sought, in expanding its ties with different sectors of civil society, to increase your chances of having access to the very latest in cutting-edge technology to be applied to industries.
In the case of Janssen Pharmaceutical arm of Johnson — & Johnson — one of the major steps in this direction was given last year, with the creation of a business incubator in the company's unit in San Diego, on the West Coast.
Still in the process of consolidation, the program offers space for 22 entrepreneurs use the structure of the laboratory to develop their research. This practice, common in Brazil within the major universities, supports small businesses that would have difficulty surviving in the market without some kind of support.

"In the current scenario, we need to assess the production process entered in a community, if we give support to the local structure, will be intrinsically connected to this community and what it produces," says Scientific Director of Janssen in San Diego, Anders Brunmark.
The observation of the company's performance last year helps explain the interest in supporting innovation. With global revenues of $ 67.2 billion in 2012, Johnson Johnson had 41% & outcome coming from the medical field, 38% of pharmaceutical and 21% of consumer products. The equivalent of $ 5.4 billion was invested in research only in the pharmaceutical area. Taking up the new position in the Brazilian market, the company is the sixth among companies that conduct clinical research in the country. And the expectation is to advance in this ranking.
"The science is moving faster and faster and the capital has not always accompanied by this speed. Therefore, research, innovation and all that relates to colaboratividade have gained importance. This all brings advancement naturally, "says Anders.
For Antonio Britto, President of Interfarma — entity which represents the pharmaceutical industry in Brazil —, cases like these explain why California has reached the rank of seventh in the world economy. "There is no country that has had success without first developing the knowledge in a particular area", says Bassey.
According to him, it is not yet possible to think that a scenario like this can become reality in Brazil. "For now, companies and Brazilian universities are back to each other," he says.