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06.11.08
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BNDES signs off R$ 2.2 million loan for cancer medicines
BNDES signed off R$ 2.2m financing for Eurofarma Laboratórios Ltda. to develop an innovative cancer medicine. The total investment for the project is R$ 4.4m and the funds will be disbursed through the Programa de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Complexo Industrial da Saúde (Support Program for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Productive Chain - PROFARMA - Innovation).
The main purpose is the development of a clinical study in critical esophagus cancer with the medicine Nimotuzumabe. If results are satisfactory, the initiative will enable Brazilian population’s access to highly modern therapeutic practices. The medicine is about to be recommended for tests in head and neck cancer, brain tumors in adults and children and lung cancer.
Nimotuzumabe is the generic name given by the World Health Organization to the medicine, developed by Centro de Imunologia Molecular de Havana (Molecular Immunology Center of Havana - CIMH), Cuba. The medicine has been licensed to several companies all around the world. In Brazil, the only company assigned the license is Eurofarma. The product’s advantage vis-à-vis the competitors is that it presents less side effects with the same clinic benefits.
Knowledge of human genes and proteins responsible for the growth of cancer cells is leading to a new phase in cancer treatment.
Nimotuzumabe is a biological molecule, a monoclonal antibody that destructs solid tumors. A monoclonal antibody is a lab-synthesized protein, designed to reach structures of specific proteins from the tumor cells surface, or encourage the immunologic system to destruct these cells. However, to become more efficient it must be combined with other forms of therapy, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Eurofarma is the fifth largest Brazilian pharmaceutical company and it takes the third place in the ranking of the largest labs controlled by domestic capital. It operates with four plants in the state of São Paulo and a fifth one exclusively focused on veterinary products, in Rio de Janeiro. In the domestic market of generic medicines, Eurofarma is ranked third, with a 7.5% share. The company was the Brazilian forerunner in the sale of cancer generic medicines. This project it will contribute for the increase of therapeutic alternatives against câncer in Brazil.
Esophagus câncer is ranked ninth in the list of the most common malign tumors in the world, and it is one of the most harmful ones. In Brazil, estimates point out to 8.64 new cases in 100 thousand men and 2.74 new cases in 100 thousand women a year.
In head and neck câncer, estimates point out that around 30% and 40% of patients could benefit from treatments with Nimotuzumabe. When it detected at early stages, this type of cancer has around 75% and 90% of curing possibility. Unfortunately, this percentage falls to at least 30%, when the disease is diagnosed at late stages. In Brazil, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 18 thousand people a year are affected by the disease, and from these, 9 thousand die.
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