Public private partnerships and emerging technologies: A look at nanomedicine for diseases of poverty

Emerging technologies, like nanotechnology, are often hailed as transformative technologies that will not only help the rich, but be used to decrease poverty and inequality. In order to overcome many of the challenges associated with developing products for poor communities, especially medicines for the poor, institutions setup organizations called public private partnership (PPPs). This study examines whether PPPs are developing nanotechnology to make medicines for diseases of poverty (DoP). PPPs are the main actors researching medicines for DoP and if they are not involved with nanotechnology research, then it is unlikely that nanomedicines for DoP will be developed. Through interviews and website content analysis, this study finds that there are only a few PPPs doing nanomedicine research. Many of the PPPs are worried that the technology is too expensive and it will take too long to bring nanomedicines to the market. To increase the likelihood that emerging technologies, like nanotechnology, will be used to mitigate poverty, policy makers can do several things like change the patent laws to encourage innovation on technologies for the poor, increase research funding in areas that address development, and move pro-poor technologies quickly through the regulation process.