Orygen closes partnership with Pfizer

The Orygen, joint venture between the national laboratories Biolab and Eurofarma, closed a partnership with American multinational Pfizer for technology transfer and development of Biosimilar medicines for treatment of complex diseases, such as cancer and arthritis. With this deal, which has already been submitted to the Administrative Council for economic Defense (Cade), the Orygen should take the role your project, about $ 500 million, for the construction of a factory to nationalize the production of these drugs.
For that deal, Pfizer will transfer the technology of five monoclonal antibodies-Trastuzumab, Rituxumabe, Adalimumab, Infliximab and Bavacizumabe. The monoclonal antibody is a lymphocyte (cell type of the defence organism) cloned, used in the pharmaceutical industry and hospital in combating degenerative diseases. From these antibodies will be possible to develop Biosimilars, which are a copy of biological medicinal product (produced from living cells).
Find a strategic partner as Pfizer was the tip to the Orygen initiate its ambitious project to have a factory of Biosimilar medicines in the country, said the English biochemist Andrew Simpson, Chairman of Orygen. Simpson built an academic career at the renowned Ludwig Institute for cancer research, in the United States and is responsible for the development of projects of Orygen in Brazil.
Created in 2012, the Orygen had in his original lineup two other shareholders Drugmakers Libbs and Cristália, who decided to go with his designs of production of these medicine alone.
Even with the departure of the two partners, Biolab and Eurofarma continued seeking a strategic partner to deliver your project. The future factory, which is expected to be financed in good part by the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), should be built in the interior of Sao Paulo. "We're still negotiating where the plant will be built," said one of the company's shareholders.
Everything goes as planned, the Orygen plant is due to come into operation in 2016 and the first medicines should be produced from 2018, said Simpson. "Pfizer is already in advanced development stage of these medications." Most of these products is still patent protected, said Simpson.
Sought, Pfizer reported that "has entered into an agreement with Orygen to collaborate in manufacturing and marketing of Biosimilar products in Brazil. The agreement is still subject to approval by Cade ". According to both multinational enterprises "continue their discussions in order to finalize the details of the collaboration are being negotiated".
Superfarmacêuticas. The production of Biosimilar medicine is considered strategic to the Brazilian Government, since these products are imported.
In 2012, the Ministry of health began to discuss a deal with eight national pharmaceutical to produce locally these medicines as a way to reduce the deficit of the trade balance in this sector, which revolves around $ 11 billion a year, which includes the import of medicines, medical equipment and pharmaceutical.
The Government will guarantee the purchase of these medicines to provide the unified Health System (SUS).
Two years ago, when the federal Government started arguing with the private sector proposals for nationalization of medicines, the original idea was that eight national pharmaceutical formed a single company, with support from BNDES, to produce Biosimilar in Brazil. However, the marriage didn't work out because of disagreements between the companies.
The Aché laboratories, EMS, and Chemical Union Hypermarcas formed a single block to create the Bionovis, which also has a factory dedicated for Biosimilar drugs. Each company has a 25% stake in this company. In April this year, the Bionovis, chaired by Odnir Finotti, Executive closed partnership with Merck Serono for the development of these medicines.
In another block were Biolab, Eurofarma, Libbs and Cristália, which together created the Orygen. However, months after sealed the Union between them, Libbs and Cristália also dropped out of the Association. Each lab today has its independent projects for the production of Biosimilar drugs.