This article is concerned with the establishment of the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry. It addresses some issues of relevance to social-economic history, such as the emergence of the public health system, procedures for combating infectious diseases, the relations between disinfection campaigns and the chemical industry, serotherapy and the production of serums and vaccines by public research institutions and private pharmaceutical companies. Focusing on the private pharmaceutical industry in Brazil, with special reference to the Instituto Pinheiros - Produtos Terapêuticos S.A., this article highlights the relations between scientists technology and product development. It also considers the debate which involved the scientific community and some governmental research institutions for public health policy development in the state of São Paulo.
public health history; science and technology history; the chemical industry in Brazil; Instituto Pinheiros; Instituto Butantã; serum and vaccine production