The Immunobiological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz) will take part in an unprecedented initiative by the Ministry of Health to expand access to rapid and long-acting insulin analogues for patients with type 2 diabetes in Primary Health Care. The Institute will play a key role in the Productive Development Partnership (PDP) for insulin glargine, formalized by the Ministry of Health on 4/2, in partnership with the biotechnology company Biomm and the Chinese pharmaceutical company Gan&Lee, so that the product becomes 100% national, reducing foreign dependence.
Representatives of the two companies were in Fiocruz this Thursday (4/3) and visited the Bio-Manguinhos technological complex, further meeting with the Institute's Board of Directors to align contracts and discuss the main points of the partnership. Du Kai, president of Gan & Lee, and Heraldo Marchezini, CEO of Biomm, and their respective teams were welcomed by the Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz's Board of Directors.
According to the director of Bio-Manguinhos, Mauricio Zuma, "the national production of insulin glargine represents a milestone for public health and for Brazil's autonomy in access to essential drugs. With the new factory in Ceará, we will take a crucial step towards reducing our dependence on imported supplies and ensuring the continuous supply of the SUS [Unified Health System]. We know that diabetes affects millions of Brazilians, and insulin glargine needs to be available. With the prevalence of the disease reaching 10.2% of the Brazilian population – around 20 million people – the PDP reinforces Fiocruz's commitment to expanding access to high-cost drugs, strengthening the SUS and improving patients' quality of life." Bio-Manguinhos' Deputy Director of Quality, Rosane Cuber, was in Brasília yesterday for a meeting to formalize the partnership with the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, and representatives of the partner companies.
The PDP will ensure the production and delivery of 20 million vials of the drug by 2025, benefiting SUS patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this scenario, the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) for this insulin will be produced entirely at the Bio-Manguinhos plant in Eusébio, Ceará. This will be the first insulin production plant in Latin America. This milestone represents a strategic advance within the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC), strengthening national production.
As well as boosting development in the Northeast, the initiative will directly contribute to reducing one of the historical supply challenges in the SUS. With the completion of the project within ten years, the unit could reach an annual production of 70 million doses, ensuring an essential supply of insulin glargine for the Brazilian population.