The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) authorized the Brazilian pharmaceutical company EMS to produce two medicines indicated for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
This approval marks a significant moment for the national pharmaceutical industry, allowing the manufacture of the first Brazilian competitor for medicines such as Ozempic.
Dr. Ian Gonçalves Junior, medical director of EMS, in an interview with CNN 360° this Tuesday (24), highlighted the importance of this achievement: “We at EMS are very happy, because after a long process, which required more than R$ 150 million invested in the factory and processes, we managed to obtain the license to manufacture in Brazil of liraglutide, which is a close relative of semaglutide (medication for obesity)”.
Impact on the market and access to treatment
The national production of these medicines can have a significant impact on access to treatment. According to Dr. Gonçalves, EMS’ concern is always to provide access to the best drugs and technologies for Brazilian patients.
Although the exact price has not yet been defined, it is expected that national production will enable more people to have access to this type of treatment.
The medical director emphasized the importance of this advance in the context of public health: “Obesity today is a disease in itself. It is very difficult for obese people to lose weight. This is not a character flaw in the obese person, it is that a series of mechanisms are involved in the body that are not laziness, it is very difficult, it is complicated.”
Cutting-edge technology and export
The EMS factory, already approved by the FDA (American regulatory body), is ready to start production. Dr. Gonçalves highlighted the qualitative leap that this represents for Brazil: “We are talking about manipulation of genetic structure. The peptide, the molecule, is not a chemical molecule, it is a small protein that is assembled. This puts Brazil at the forefront of global pharmaceutical research and technology.”
The new medicines will be marketed under the names Olire and Lirux, for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, respectively. As for side effects, Dr. Gonçalves reported that they have been relatively low, with some patients reporting nausea, stomach pain and constipation, but no association with serious side effects.
This approval not only represents an advance in the national pharmaceutical industry, but also promises to positively impact the treatment of obesity and diabetes in Brazil, offering an alternative produced entirely on national soil.
