Butantan consolidates as a global vaccine manufacturer

With a growing role in influenza immunization in Latin America, the institution accelerates the process of internationalization and diversification of its operations

A key player in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, Butantan was responsible for initiating vaccination against the disease, distributing 112 million doses of CoronaVac between 2021 and 2022. Having an industrial structure that can be rapidly used for the production of a given vaccine is something essential in any pandemic. In this sense, Butantan has taken the strategic decision to make a very large investment in its industrial park. The goals were not only to have an API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) manufacturing and filling infrastructure, but also to ensure quality, to have this delivery capability within months.

Also in 2021, the institution produced all the flu vaccines offered free to the population by the Unified Health System (SUS), with 80 million doses supplied to the National Immunization Program (PNI). Not to mention the inclusion of the product in the list of prequalified vaccines by the World Health Organization – which resulted in the possibility of being exported to other countries and helped to place Butantan among the ten largest vaccine producers in the world in terms of revenue, without considering those of covid, according to a report produced by the WHO. In 2022, it sent 1 million doses of flu vaccine to Ecuador, 700,000 to Uruguay and 225,000 doses to Nicaragua.

“The professionalization in terms of internationalization of the Butantan Foundation means a necessary movement for both the so-called science and technology and the national pharmaceutical industry,” notes Dimas Covas, executive director of the Butantan Foundation. “Today we have the new generation of covid-19 vaccines underway with our partners, including bivalent, trivalent and ButanVac itself, which has now been cleared to proceed to phase 2 clinical trials. ButanVac, among more, it is a big bet for the future of immunization against the disease”, continues the doctor.

The results not only confirm the institution as a reference in the production of serums and vaccines for the Unified Health System, the SUS, but also mark the expansion of this scope and reinforce the goal of establishing itself among the global manufacturers of immunobiologics and advanced therapies . “The diversification of buyers also guarantees the stability of the offer to the Ministry of Health itself, since Butantan will have the autonomy to make greater investments, as well as the increase in production by reducing the cost of the unit with gains in scale”, explains Cintia Lucci , Director of Strategic Projects of the Butantan Foundation.

Strategic partnerships with an eye to the future

There is no shortage of installed facilities, scientific knowledge and expertise to establish crucial partnerships in this expansion trajectory. The Butantan Foundation, a private non-profit civil entity created in the 1980s to support the activities of the Butantan Institute, currently has approximately 3,000 employees, with command and management positions occupied by private pharmaceutical industry professionals overseeing strategic areas . Business, Clinical Trials and Quality and Regulatory Affairs. “Today Butantan is permeated by professionals at all hierarchical levels with exceptional training and extensive market experience. This is our greatest pride,” says Cintia Lucci.

The delivery of the works, in 2022, of the Multipurpose Vaccine Production Center (CPMV), from which more than 100 million doses of different immunizers can be produced annually, carries the expectation of expanding the institution’s participation in the sector. “If the continued need for a covid-19 vaccine is confirmed, the CPMV will produce it. In addition, the factory is ready to receive API for other immunizations, whose technologies Butantan is incorporating, such as hepatitis A. another, under evaluation, is against rabies, in an agreement that is being discussed with a multinational company,” says Hubert Guarino, commercial director of the Butantan Foundation.

Initiated in 2018, the restructuring of the Strategic Partnerships and New Business areas and of the Office of Innovation and Technology Licensing seeks to intensify contacts with national and international entities to develop products together and respond more quickly to different needs. “Butantan was chosen by the Valneva laboratory to launch the chikungunya vaccine in Brazil and Latin America and to bring it to all emerging countries”, exemplifies Guarino. “Another important partnership was with Sandoz for the transfer of technology aimed at the production of monoclonal antibodies, a fundamental product for the treatment of a wide range of diseases such as cancer”, he underlines.

“Butantan’s professionalization process will have an impact on the entire biotechnology sector, which is one of the most important components of the so-called new economy. In addition to taking care of the health of the population, it brings benefits to the country from an economic point of view”, concludes Dimas Covas.

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Source: Terra

Camila

Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.