Brazilian health biotech—fostering crosstalk between public and private sectors.

This article discusses the progress made by the health biotech sector of Brazil. The sector consists of both private companies and government-controlled institutes that develop health products for human consumption. Qualitative research methodology has been used to conduct case studies of 19 domestically owned Brazilian health biotech companies and four public institutes to characterize and evaluate the work being done in health biotechnology. A list of companies and their product portfolios is provided. The study found that tension between the public and private sector hindered progress in biotech innovation.