Bahiafarma will save the Brazilian public health system (SUS) R$ 33 million.
The Bahia Foundation for Research and Distribution of Medicines (Bahiafarma) is expected to bill over R$ 80 million in 12 months with the medications Cabergoline and Sevelamer Hydrochloride, which will be supplied to the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System), according to the Secretary of Health, Fábio Vilas-Boas; "This is a strategic company in the process of attracting and retaining laboratories and pharmaceutical industries in order to create a pharmaceutical hub in Bahia in the coming years"; state estimates indicate that the SUS will save approximately R$ 33 million per year on the acquisition of these medications from Bahiafarma.
Bahia 247 - Linked to the State Health Secretariat, the Bahia Foundation for Scientific Research and Technological Development, Supply and Distribution of Medicines (Bahiafarma) is expected to bill more than R$ 80 million in 12 months with the medications Cabergoline and Sevelamer Hydrochloride, which will be supplied to the Unified Health System (SUS) - one of them starting this month.
The information comes from the Secretary of Health and president of the Board of Trustees of Bahiafarma, Fábio Vilas-Boas, who swore in the entity's new board yesterday and presented excerpts from the entity's new business plan.
"This is a strategic company in the process of attracting and retaining pharmaceutical laboratories and industries in order to create a pharmaceutical hub in Bahia in the coming years," says Fábio Vilas-Boas. He emphasizes that the state cannot be an importer of medicines in almost their entirety.
"In parallel, the new board will create two new segments: one focused on the development of diagnostic kits and the other on the production of prostheses, orthoses, and heart valves," says the secretary.
One of the goals is to invest in research, training, and professional development so that Bahiafarma establishes itself in the market as one of the major companies in the country. "The expectation is that it can produce more efficiently and economically for the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System)," says Vilas-Boas. Bahiafarma is contributing with the drug Cabergoline, which will begin distribution throughout the country this month.
Cabergoline is being purchased at half the price because it is produced in the country, representing savings for Brazil and allowing more resources to be used to expand access to other medications and to improve the health care of the population.
Business
State estimates indicate that the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) will save approximately R$ 33 million per year with the centralized acquisition of Cabergoline and Sevelamer Hydrochloride medications through Bahiafarma, instead of importing them or purchasing them from private laboratories. This corresponds to approximately 50% of the acquisitions made by the Ministry of Health nationwide for these drugs. However, this is only possible through Productive Development Partnerships (PDPs).
The Ministry of Health enters into agreements with private laboratories in which they commit to transferring the technology for the production of a specific medication to Brazilian public laboratories within a period of five years. During this period, the private sector laboratories are responsible for producing the active ingredient and transferring the technology to the public laboratory.
To ensure both parties benefit from the agreement, the government guarantees private laboratories exclusive purchasing rights for these products during the same period. After the technology transfer period, the national public laboratory autonomously begins full production of the medication to meet national demand. In the specific case of Bahiafarma, the PDP (Product Development Partnership) is with Cristália.