Agreement was articulated during a visit by the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, to China
The (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) signed on Wednesday (18 March 2026) a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese company to expand vaccine production capacity in the SUS (Unified Health System).
The document establishes, in general terms, cooperation in critical stages of the vaccine production chain, the exchange of researchers and technical teams and the joint development of projects between the two companies. No fixed objectives were presented to scale the production of immunobiologicals.
On Tuesday (17th March), another partnership was signed between Brazil and China in the area of health. The Brazilian state-owned company (Empresa Brasileira de Blood Derivados e Biotecnologia) signed a memorandum of understanding with Tiantan, the largest producer of blood products in China.
The agreement defines guidelines for future partnerships focused on technology transfer to expand Brazilian industrial capacity in the area of blood products for service in the SUS.
Blood products are medicines produced from human blood plasma and are used to treat hemophilia, autoimmune diseases and other chronic conditions. The most famous are albumin and globulin.
Both agreements were articulated during the Health Minister’s visit to China this week. The minister visited Shenzhen, Chengdu and will continue to Shanghai.
SMART HOSPITALS
Padilha’s trip to China also includes visits to smart hospitals and executives from technology companies with projects focused on healthcare, such as Chinese giant Huawei.
The installation of medical units with intensive use of technology is one of the main agendas in the area of health in the president’s government (PT). In December, the (Novo Banco dos Brics) for the construction of Brazil’s 1st smart hospital in São Paulo.
The concept of a smart hospital is the integration of medical care with cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, 5G-connected ambulances and telehealth. According to the Ministry of Health, the objective is to reduce the time needed for care in serious cases from up to 17 hours to 2 hours.
In addition to financing the Brics institution, the federal government will contribute R$110 million and the government of São Paulo another R$55 million in this project. The unit is expected to be completed in 2029.
The government also plans to create a network of 14 automated and integrated ICUs (Intensive Care Units) in different states. Currently, China is the main global reference in the application of technology in healthcare.
