Drug in partnership with USP supports Biolab's internationalization
Among the main pharmaceutical laboratories in Brazil, Biolab is the youngest, at just 22 years old, and is focusing on innovation to speed up its internationalization process. The strategy to achieve this goal involves the company's main drug, the antiemetic Vonau Flash (ondansetron), indicated for vomiting and nausea. Developed by the University of São Paulo (USP), with financial support from Biolab, the drug is a success story.
"This is the biggest incremental innovation made by a pharmaceutical company in Brazil in partnership with a university," says CEO Cleiton de Castro Marques. Today, the drug accounts for 90% of all royalties earmarked for USP. This year alone, the university will receive more than R$ 4 million from Biolab. The company's aim is to launch Vonau Flash in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. "The drug is already registered in Mexico, Central America, Saudi Arabia and Arab countries. Its formulation is also being adapted in our laboratory in Canada, with a focus on the North American and European markets," says Marques.
The antiemetic holds more than 50% of the nausea market in the country and is characterized by its ability to dissolve orally in between 15 and 20 seconds, with a rapid effect on the body. Studies began in 2004 and the patent was granted on March 13, 2018. In August this year, the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) recognized the drug's innovation and maintained the patent with Biolab and USP.
Another drug that also contributes to the expectation of internationalization is the antifungal Zilt (dapaconazole). It is the first radical innovation product developed by a pharmaceutical company in Latin America and is expected to reach the market in the second half of next year. The pharmaceutical formula was 100% developed by Biolab, the result of eight years of work, and has a patent applied for in the main international markets.
For Biolab's CEO, the biggest obstacles to innovation in Brazil are still the regulatory aspects, which need to be more dynamic, as well as greater agility from the INPI and patent review bodies. "You can't wait 12 to 15 years to have a patent analyzed," he says. Another point is the plea that the industries are making to the Medicines Market Regulation Chamber (CMED) so that companies can be remunerated for innovation.
Biolab launched 40 products this year, including generics and brands. The pharmaceutical company has also earmarked R$ 450 million for the construction of an industrial complex in Pouso Alegre (MG), which will be partially operational in 2020 and fully operational by the end of 2022. It is expected to generate around 800 direct jobs.