Biolab doubles investment in factory in Pouso Alegre to R$ 1 billion
Pharmaceutical company Biolab has announced that it has doubled its investment in the construction of its new plant in Pouso Alegre. Previously projected at R$ 500 million, the investment will now be R$ 1 billion, exactly double, to meet the demands of inflation and rising prices for materials and equipment.
The increase in investments in Pouso Alegre was announced by Biolab's president and partner, Cleiton de Castro Marques, in an interview with the Valor Econômico newspaper, which was commented on in a special article on the "O Empreiteiro" website and other national press outlets. See below:
Eurofarma's partner in Orygen, one of the "super-pharmaceutical companies" created by the federal government for the national production of biosimilars, and owner of a research center in Canada, Biolab is looking to expand in the international market, but is also investing in Brazil.
The pharmaceutical company is building a plant in Pouso Alegre (MG), whose initial budget was R$ 500 million, and is now expected to reach R$ 1 billion. The new plant announced in 2017 is already in operation, but it is not expected to actually produce medicines until the second half of 2024. According to Biolab's president and partner, Cleiton de Castro Marques, in an interview with the newspaper Valor Econômico, investments doubled due to the increase in the prices of materials and equipment. "In addition to the increase in infrastructure costs, such as steel and cement, the equipment has become more expensive," said Marques.
The industrial complex in Pouso Alegre covers a total area of 80,000 m², is expected to generate more than 1,000 direct jobs and will be responsible for producing more than 200 million units a year, doubling the laboratory's current manufacturing capacity.
In addition to complying with Brazilian legislation, Biolab's new industrial complex will follow FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) standards, as well as being certified as a green factory. The plant is located on the Fernão Dias highway, in the Algodão district.
FOREIGN MARKET
According to Biolab's president and partner, Cleiton de Castro Marques, in January this year, six months after buying the Canadian laboratory Exzell Pharma, owner of brands such as Swiss Naturals and Salinex, Biolab secured the registration of the Vonau Flash (ondansetron), an innovative drug against nausea and vomiting that dissolves orally almost immediately, in Saudi Arabia. With this, it has opened the way to selling the drug, which in the Arab market will carry the Mundell brand, to the 22 countries of the Arab League.
The company already exported Vonau to Ecuador and Colombia and supplied another product, the Crisis (vasopressin), used in the treatment of septic shock, to Saudi Arabia. The next step is to take Encrise to Central American countries, Mexico, where it will be distributed by another Brazilian pharmaceutical company, Eurofarma, and Canada. "We are seeking approval for different products in Canada," said Marques, stating that the strategy is to reach countries with a strong currency, such as the United States.
In Canada, the company has been established since 2017 with its own research, development and innovation center. There, all dossiers are already prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Biolab, which had revenues of R$ 2.5 billion last year, has diversified operations, including the PET market, and still finds almost 50% of its revenues in the cardiology portfolio. With 45 launches last year, it has a portfolio of 425 branded and generic drugs, including the various presentations, and 81 items in the veterinary line (Avert).