The first complex of its kind in the country will produce liraglutide, used in weight loss medications; the input depends on approval from Anvisa, which should be released within 60 days
The president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) opens this Friday (Aug 23, 2024) the EMS pharmaceutical factory that will produce liraglutide and semaglutide, compounds used in the manufacture of medicines for diabetes and obesity, which have become famous in recent years for their use in weight loss. The 6,000 m² space is located in Hortolândia (SP).
The new pharmaceutical complex has been ready for 1 year, but is still awaiting approval of the production registration of liraglutide by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), which should happen in 60 days. The registration of semaglutide should be approved in 6 months, but since the patent for the drug, owned by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, only expires in 2026, EMS will have to wait this period to begin production.
“President Lula’s presence at the factory’s inauguration shows that the government is clearer about the fact that the national pharmaceutical industry can innovate and can help balance the country’s trade balance,” said to the Poder360 EMS Vice President Marcus Sanchez.
According to the businessman, the expectation is that the production of the compounds will result in revenues of around US$ 1 billion in 5 years. The company intends to sell the products in Brazil and initially export to the United States, where it should obtain registration for liraglutide soon.
On August 14, Lula announced investments of R$42.7 billion for the Health Economic-Industrial Complex until 2026. Under the project, EMS closed a R$500 million financing with BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) for the production of 8 generic medicines, including for diabetes and cancer, and 17 innovative compounds for anti-inflammatories, anti-allergics, analgesics and medicines for anxiety, insomnia and nausea.
In recent years, drugs such as Ozempic, Saxenda and Mounjaro have become popular due to their use “off label”that is, different from what is prescribed in the package insert, and they started to be used by people who just want to lose weight.
Even Denmark’s GDP (gross domestic product) was affected by sales of Ozempic, produced by Novo Nordisk, which became Europe’s most valuable company in 2023. It was priced at $446 billion, a figure above the country’s GDP, estimated at $395 billion. And it recorded a 26% growth in sales in 2022.
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