FIOCRUZ will nationalize production of biological medicine

Drugs that are imported at a high cost for the treatment of chronic diseases start to be produced at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation next year.
In mid-June, Fiocruz will provide the health system biopharmaceuticals with nationalized production. The estimate of the Ministry of health is that this technology transfer process generates an initial 30% savings.
The new structure began to be built in 2006 and was inaugurated today (9) by the Minister of health, Ricardo Barros, with the name of Centre Henry Penna-Prototypes, Biopharmaceuticals and reactive.
According to the Director of the Institute of technology in Bio-Manguinhos, Artur Imunobiológico Chowdhury, the inauguration of the new center of production of inputs and medicines of the Foundation will allow the fabrique also Fiocruz raw materials of drugs.
"Already produce biopharmaceuticals and already provide to the Ministry, but the production is more valuable, which is the raw material, starts from June," said Arthur Christian.
The Minister Ricardo Barros said the biological medicines cost $8 billion annually and as centers of Fiocruz and the Butantan Institute are being equipped to receive technology transfer and produce them in Brazil.
With production in public laboratories as opened in Fiocruz, the idea is to save about $2 billion initially.
"The productive development partnerships, which represent the transfer of technology to Brazil of those drugs that are the most defendants and the most expensive, represents 30% of the economy," said Barros.
He pointed out that the national production also generates jobs and tax collections.
The President of Fiocruz, Paulo Gadelha, pointed out that chronic diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis require biological medicines in their treatments and the import raises costs for the SUS.
"They are a value that would be impossible to provide for the population if we don''t have the incorporation to the national technology and ability to produce and develop the country," said Gadelha.
To the President of the institution, the Center fills gaps key to the arrival of products essential to the population.
The new space, which will have the largest plant of prototypes for biopharmaceuticals products of Latin America, received an investment of 478 million R$.
The prototypes are important to check if the vaccines developed keep their effectiveness when they are produced on an industrial scale.
In the technological complex will be produced for testing reactive zika, chikungunya, dengue fever and other diseases.
Initially, must be made also to Alfaepoetina, used to treat anemia in people with kidney disease, HIV-positive people you treat with AZT and cancer patients on chemotherapy.
Through productive development partnerships, the Centre shall manufacture Filgrastim, used to treat side effects in patients with cancer, and somatropin, indicated to treat growth deficiency.
Protest
The arrival of the Minister of health to the Fiocruz was met with protests by a group of servers and students of the institution.
At the time, the demonstrators used whistles, drums and posters in defense of SUS and against the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) 55 – PEC – ceiling that limits Government spending.
For the public, 47 years Pine Julius, "the agenda adopted by the current Government''s anti-SUS folder.
"We''re expressing against the various attacks that are being made to the rule of law and, in our case, to health," said health inspector, who criticized the idea of popular health plans, he defended by Barros, and also the Government proposal that limits spending for 20 years.
"We want him to get all the agenda that''s putting the commodification and the decrease in SUS."
The Health Minister, said in an interview after the event, the PEC 55 establishes a floor, not a ceiling, for health.
"The ceiling is for global government spending and health will have a bigger budget, with the floor that is 15%. This is a sterile discussion. "