Technological capability at the Brazilian official pharmaceutical laboratories

This paper studies the technological capability in the Brazilian Official Pharmaceutical Laboratories [OPL]. The technological capability analysis could contribute to organization strategies and governmental actions in order to improve OPL basic tasks as well to incorporate new ones, particularly concerning the innovation management. Inspired in Figueiredo (2000, 2003a, 2003b) and Figueiredo and Ariffin (2003), a framework was drawn and adapted to pharmaceutical industry characteristics and current sanitary and health legislation. The framework allows to map different dimensions of the technological capability (installations, processes, products, equipments, organizational capability and knowledge management) and the level attained by OPL (ordinary or innovating capability). OPL show a good development of ordinary capabilities, particularly in Product and Processes. Concerning the other dimensions, OPL are quite diverse. In general, innovating capabilities are not much developed. In the short term, it was identified a dispersion in the capacitating efforts. Considering their present level and the absorption efforts, good perspectives can be found in Installations, Processes and Organizational Capability. A lower level of efforts in Products and Knowledge Management could undermine these capabilities in the future.