THAT The biomedical company, like other companies in the healthcare sector, was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, but not because of a supply chain disruption. The major global health crisis hit Brazil when the company’s new plant, which had received an investment of R$800 million, was ready, waiting only for licenses and operating permits, some of which were issued to Anvisa, which now had more pressing needs.
As a result, the plant was only put into operation at the end of April this year in the city of Nova Lima, in the Belo Horizonte (Mirgia) metropolitan region. The opening of the facility was attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Minister of Health Nícia Trindade, Minister of Finance Fernando Haddad, Minister of Institutional Relations Alexandre Padilha and Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira.
The presence sets the tone for the importance of the new division. The plant became the sole manufacturer glargine in the country, with production capacity for 20 million vials of biopreparations and the same number of cartridges (insulin pens).
Brazil is experiencing an insulin shortage, prompting the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD) to issue a According to SBD, the country is home to more than 20 million people with diabetes, making it the fifth largest diabetes population in the world.
“We have a very large capacity. This unit will be very important for Brazilians because it symbolizes the country’s independence from insulin,” says Renato Arroyo, Biomm’s chief financial officer and director of institutional relations.
Arroyo emphasizes that, in addition to independence in drug production, national production not only ensures security of supply, but can also reduce costs, leading to more people having access to treatment for the disease. According to the CFO, every percentage point reduction in price can increase access to the product by almost three times.
An example is insulin glargine, Arroyo says. It was once five to six times more expensive than human insulin, but today the prices are closer.
The plant-factory is capable of producing, in addition to glargine and human insulin, other classes of drugs, such as oncology and antithrombotic agents. “All of this shows that we have penetration into different markets.” Biomm has 16 global biomedical partnerships, several of which are in the licensing and approval process. And four more are for sale.
One of Biomm’s partnerships is with the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (Funed) and Wockhardt on a program called PDP (Partnership for Productive Development) of insulin in Brazil to supply the Unified Health System (SUS). “This is a major milestone. It is an important transition to insulin glargine, which is more noble than human insulin and prevents spikes in blood sugar levels. It is most widely used in more developed countries.”
‘Brazilian Ozempic’
Biomm’s global partners include India’s Biocon, which makes semaglutide, a compound in Ozempic, a drug created to treat diabetes but which has become popular as a powerful weight-loss tool – and therefore a way to reduce the incidence of the disease.
The original product from Danish company Novo Nordisk has been such a success worldwide that it has had an impact on the Danish economy. The patent expires in 2025. Biomm is preparing to start manufacturing the component from 2026.
Another Biomm partnership is with Chinese biopharmaceutical company Kexing to sell liraglutide, an injectable synthetic drug similar to Saxenda. The weight-loss drug will also be sold in Brazil after its patent expires, regulatory approval by Anvisa, and pricing by the Medicines Market Regulatory Chamber (CMED).
The post The only producer of insulin glargine in the country, Biomm is preparing to produce ‘Brazilian osempic’ appeared first on ISTOÉ DINHEIRO.
Source: Istoe Dinheiro
I work as an author at the World Herald News, a news website that also covers the economy. I have been writing about economic topics for over six years and have written extensively on topics such as unemployment, housing prices, and the stock market. My goal is to provide readers with expert insight into these important issues so they can make informed decisions.
