Empresa científica y empresa de científicos : la producción comercial de interferón entre la firma Inmunoquemia y el Instituto de Oncología “Ángel H. Roffo” (1975-1980)

Abstract

El presente artículo analiza el desarrollo, producción e introducción al mercado argentino del medicamento antiviral Inter-A11, que contenía interferón humano leucocitario como principio activo, una sustancia que se encontraba en fase experimental a escala internacional y comenzaba a generar grandes expectativas en el sector farmacéutico. El trabajo busca comprender cómo fue posible este desarrollo en un contexto local, caracterizado por la escasez de conductas innovativas por parte de las firmas y por la ausencia relativa de vínculos entre laboratorios públicos y el sector privado. Para ello, se reconstruyen las trayectorias previas de los actores involucrados y la evolución de la experiencia conjunta. Se analizan así la firma Inmunoquemia (una pequeña empresa integrada por ex investigadores del sector académico y orientada hacia el desarrollo y la producción de fármacos de origen biológico) y un grupo del Instituto de Oncología “Ángel H. Roffo” (que había realizado investigaciones sobre el interferón desde mediados de la década de 1960 y generado un pequeño sistema de producción de interferón humano leucocitario). La experiencia conjunta es analizada en términos de los conocimientos y técnicas utilizados y generados, el diseño de la droga, los ensayos clínicos, el escalado de la producción y el control de calidad. Asimismo, se presentan dinámicas contextuales que condicionaron y permitieron el desarrollo de esta experiencia.

This paper analyzes the development, production and introduction into the Argentine market of Inter-A11, an antiviral drug which contained Human Leukocitary Interferon as active ingredient. This substance was in trial stage internationally and had started to generate great expectations in the pharmaceutical market. The purpose of this paper is to understand how this develop-ment was possible in a local context which typically showed low levels of innovative behavior by firms and a relative absence of a bond between public laboratories and the private sector. To this effect, the previous experience of the actors involved and the evolution of the joint experience are reconstructed. Firstly, there is an analysis on the track record of the Inmunoquemia firm (a small firm made up of former academics whose main objective was to develop and produce biological drugs) and, secondly, on a research group from the Instituto de Oncología “Ángel H. Roffo” (which had conducted research on interferon since mid-1960s and had elaborated a small system of production of human leukocitary interferon). The joint experience is analyzed considering the knowledge and techniques used and created, the drug design, the clinical trials, the scaling-up and quality control. Furthermore, contextual dynamics are introduced, which conditioned this experience and made it possible. In the first place, the paper focuses on the way in which the study field on interferon was structured internationally, which was characterized by the free access to knowledge, techniques and materials. In the second place, it deals with some of the characteristics of the local pharmaceutical sector, which had low innovation levels and was highly focused on pharma-chemical products. Finally, it analyzes the incipient creation of a scientific-technological complex, which fostered the development of long-term research based on grants and scholarships.