Brazil and South Korea sign strategic deals on medicines
The Brazilian government has signed three Productive Development Partnerships (PDPs) with South Korea for the domestic production of the drugs bevacizumab, eculizumab, and aflibercept, involving technology transfer and internalization of manufacturing in Brazil. The investment by the Brazilian Ministry of Health is estimated at up to BRL 1.104 billion in the first year.
“The move expands the Brazilian production capacity of products and supplies essential to public health care, strengthens the country’s productive sovereignty, reduces the vulnerability of [national health care network] SUS to fluctuations in the international market, and decreases the risk of shortages. In addition, it stimulates technological development, job and income generation in Brazil and expands people’s access to high-cost therapies,” the ministry stated.
The pact formalizes the start of domestic production of aflibercept – an essential drug for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. The ministry will partner with the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (FUNED) in a public cooperation as well as Bionovis and South Korean company Samsung Bioepis as private partners.
In the case of bevacizumab – used in the treatment of various types of cancer and in ophthalmological indications – the deal brings together the Bahia Foundation for Research, Development, Supply, and Distribution of Medicines (Bahiafarma), Bionovis, and Samsung Bioepis.
Eculizumab – a drug indicated for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare disease that affects the blood system – will be produced in partnership with Bahiafarma, Bionovis, and Samsung Bioepis.
“The partnerships forged are extremely significant. They represent technology transfer, local production in Brazil, the strengthening of the national industrial base, and the reduction of vulnerabilities in the health care system. They also provide predictability for the private sector and a long-term commitment from the Brazilian government,” said Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, who was part of the official delegation to South Korea with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Innovation
Among the main instruments negotiated during the mission is the Memorandum of Understanding on Health signed between the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, which establishes the basis for cooperation in strategic areas such as biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation, digital health and data ecosystems, clinical excellence, advanced therapies, and the resilience of health care systems and their workforce.
“Six new agreements were signed for the joint production of health technologies, involving diagnostic tests, biological medicines, treatments for certain types of cancer, and technologies for ophthalmic diseases. The initiatives represent significant technological advances, strengthen the productive and innovative capacity of both countries, and pave the way for new stages of cooperation,” the ministry went on to report.
