A roundup of the biggest stories from Brazil’s pharma industry, including Teuto’s cannabis manufacturing deal with MediPharm; Eurofarma’s AI-based epilepsy joint venture with SK Biopharmaceuticals; EMS’s increased stake in Hypera after a failed merger attempt, and Quantoom, Univercells and Fiocruz’s RNA-based vaccine production collaboration.
MediPharm Labs Enters Landmark Commercial Agreement with Laboratório Teuto in Brazil (PR Newswire)
MediPharm Labs Corp. (“MediPharm” or the “Company”), a leader in pharmaceutical-grade cannabis manufacturing, is proud to announce a commercial agreement with Laboratório Teuto (“Teuto”), a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer in Brazil. This partnership signifies a significant milestone as MediPharm expands its reach into one of the most tightly regulated medical cannabis markets globally.
ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) granted Teuto Sanitary Authorizations for two products manufactured by Medipharm. The approvals, published on December 30, 2024, mark the culmination of a rigorous process that underscores MediPharm’s commitment to compliance, quality, and innovation in the global medical cannabis space. MediPharm and Teuto have been working closely together on the ANVISA approvals, which included pharmaceutical-level product filings, extensive quality control documentation, and responding to multiple requests for information over many months. Initial Shipments are expected to begin in the new year after applicable import and export permits from ANVISA and Health Canada are received.
Biotech Nintx Raises US$ 10 Million to Advance a New Generation of Medicines Based on Brazilian Biodiversity (Businesswire)
Following a US$ 3 million seed investment in 2022, Nintx (Next Innovative Therapeutics), a biotech company researching and developing treatments for multifactorial diseases using Brazil’s biodiversity, has just raised an additional US$ 10 million.
The investments will support the company’s plans for the coming years, which include accelerating the R&D of eight new drug programs (mostly in partnership with companies, such as Adeste and Centroflora, and research institutions, such as CIEnP and CNPEM, which houses Sirius, one of the largest particle accelerators in the world), hiring researchers, introducing new technologies, and expanding the laboratory.
Pharmaceutical companies move to enter the Medley dispute (Guia de Farmacia, in Portuguese)
Major pharmaceutical companies are beginning to position themselves to take part in the process of selling Medley in Brazil, a company that the French Sanofi has put up for sale, according to sources. Lazard has been hired to advise on the transaction. The process will begin in early 2025 and is expected to cost between US$ 1 billion and US$ 1.5 billion.
Potential interested parties include large companies such as EMS, Neo Química, Aché and, to a lesser extent, names such as Eurofarma and Hypera, the sources added. Investment banks and companies in the sector have already begun work to position themselves, even without the formal process having been launched.
SK Biopharmaceuticals, Eurofarma to set up AI epilepsy platform JV in US (KED Global)
South Korea’s SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. has signed a deal with Brazil’s Eurofarma Laboratórios S.A. to establish a joint venture in the US to develop an AI-based epilepsy treatment platform.
The drug-developing subsidiary of Korea’s No. 2 conglomerate SK Group said it plans to hire local executives, implement localization strategies and leverage its existing US network built through direct sales of SK Biopharma’s flagship antiepileptic drug Cenobamate.
EMS Increases Stake in Hypera, Sparking Market Speculation (The Rio Times)
EMS, a major Brazilian pharmaceutical company, recently increased its stake in rival Hypera to 6.02%. This move sent Hypera’s stock soaring up to 7% on the São Paulo stock exchange.
The development comes after EMS’s failed merger attempt with Hypera in October 2024. Perenne Investimentos, acting on behalf of EMS, now holds 38,125,500 Hypera shares. This significant increase in ownership has reignited interest in the potential consolidation of Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry. Analysts view this as a strategic move by EMS to gain more influence over Hypera’s operations.
Libbs inaugurates Biotec Pilot Plant and High-Power Factory (Medicina S/A, in Portuguese)
Libbs Farmacêutica, the first Brazilian company to invest in a monoclonal antibody factory on an industrial scale, has taken another step forward in the production of highly complex biotechnological medicines in the country with the inauguration of the Biotec Pilot Plant. At the same time, it put into operation the first High Potency Medicines Factory, which represents a strategic advance for the production of oral chemotherapy in Brazil. Both initiatives reinforce the company’s commitment to expanding access to highly complex treatments and fostering research and innovation in the country.
Quantoom, Univercells and Fiocruz ink collaboration to bolster RNA-based vaccines in Brazil and beyond (Fierce Pharma)
Belgium mRNA specialist Quantoom Biosciences and biologics manufacturing specialist Univercells inked a partnership deal with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in a move aimed at expanding the development and production of RNA-based vaccines and therapies in Brazil and beyond.
The three parties agreed to build a new commercial manufacturing facility in Brazil that’ll incorporate Quantoom’s tech and will be exclusively focused on mRNA, they said in a Nov. 29 press release. The plant will integrate local enzyme manufacturing, which is the biggest cost driver of mRNA production, according to the partners.
