Brazil to resume domestic insulin production after 20 years
Technology for production will be acquired from an Indian pharmaceutical company.
Brazil Agency - The Ministry of Health received, this Friday (11), the first batch of insulins produced through the Partnerships for Productive Development (PDP) program, which is part of the National Strategy for the Development of the Economic-Industrial Complex of Health. The country will once again manufacture the 100% national drug, through the transfer of technology from the Indian pharmaceutical company Wockhardt, based on an agreement with the public laboratory Fundação Ezequiel Dias (Funed) and the Brazilian company Biomm.
Minister Alexandre Padilha participated in the delivery event of the batch containing 207.385 thousand units of the medicine, including 67.317 vials of regular insulin and 140.068 of NPH insulin, at the Biomm factory in Nova Lima (MG).
"After more than two decades without producing human insulin, Brazil is resuming this manufacturing to be delivered to the Unified Health System and contribute to the health of the population," Padilha highlighted. "It's BRICS happening in reality, changing the lives of the Brazilian population and generating jobs, income, and technology here in Minas Gerais," he added, referring to the economic bloc that brings together major countries of the so-called Global South, including India, the country that made the partnership possible.
According to the ministry, after the complete transfer of technology, Brazil will produce 50% of the demand related to NPH and regular insulins in the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System). "An initiative like this gives patients the assurance that, regardless of any crisis—such as the one we experienced during the pandemic—the country has sovereignty in the production of this very important medication. About 10% of the Brazilian population has diabetes, and some of these people need to use insulin. This guarantees peace of mind, security, and stability for both the SUS and the citizens who depend on the medication," Padilha emphasized.
The initiative involves an investment of R$ 142 million in the acquisition of the technology, and approximately 350 people with diabetes will benefit. The contracts foresee the delivery of 8,01 million units of insulin, including vials and pens, to the public healthcare system in 2025 and 2026.
According to the Ministry of Health, following the initial acquisition, the technology transfer process will begin, as outlined in the PDP guidelines. Upon completion of the transfer, the drug's production will be entirely Brazilian, with Funed and Biomm equipped to manufacture the drug domestically and supply the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System) autonomously.
In PDPs, public institutions and private companies share responsibilities for the domestic production of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and the product subject to the PDP, through a reverse technology transfer process. The transfer is implemented through stages that include packaging, quality control of the ingredients, and production of the finished product and the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient in Brazil, thus enabling the local production of the medication to be supplied to the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System).
Treatment in the SUS
The Unified Health System (SUS) provides comprehensive care for people with diabetes, from diagnosis to appropriate treatment, based on each patient's clinical condition. The gateway to care is Primary Health Care, which provides continuous monitoring through multidisciplinary teams. Currently, four types of insulin are offered: NPH and regular human insulins, rapid- and long-acting insulin analogues, as well as oral and injectable medications for diabetes mellitus.