Cristália prepares to enter the biotechnology sector
Valor Econômico 01/30/2009
Laboratory Cristália is near starting the construction of a plant for the production of copies of two brand medicines that can be, in case the project succeeds, its starring in the biotechnology segment. With its own funds, the national laboratory has invested R$ 20 million (US$ 8.7 million) in the project and intends to invest another R$ 25 million (US$ 10.9 million) in order to produce, until 2012, the human growth hormone and interferon, which is used in the treatment of viral diseases. The biotechnology plant, whose industrial project will be developed by the Paal architecture company, from Rio de Janeiro, will have 1.2 thousand square meters of built area. Neither the human growth hormone nor Interferon - medicines that are not protected by a patent - is produced in Brazil, which depends on the foreign supply. It is estimated that both medicines represent nearly R$ 120 million (US$ 52.2 million) in government expenditures. Cristália, which imports the hormone from South Korea, foresees supplying half of the Brazilian market when it starts producing both treatments here. In order to reach its goal, Cristália has already built a 1.7 thousand square meter center for the research and development of biological medicines in Itapira (SP), where its main industrial facilities are located. The center employs 18 researchers, among Masters and Doctors. The company foresees erecting its industrial unit dedicated for the production of both medicines next to it until the end of the year. Besides the two projects which are in more advanced stages, Cristália has 10 other projects in biotechnology underway - which are related to the areas of immunomodulators, orthobiology, monoclonal antibodies and blood types - programs that also have agreements with universities, like Unesp (São Paulo State University) and the Federal University of São Paulo (USP). Besides the biotechnology segment, Cristália also foresees, for September, the opening of its new plant that will triplicate its capacity of production of medicines in tablets and semi-solid form, among others, the result of an investment of R$ 120 million (US$ 52.2 million) carried out in the last years.