After having its sales leveraged as of the end of the first half with similar and generic versions of two important drugs that had their patent expired - Viagra and Lipitor, both by Pfizer – the national laboratory EMS, the largest in the country, should erect its third plant in Brazil as of 2011. The site and value that will be injected in the future unit shall be established by the end of the year, but the investments are already included in the nearly R$ 500 million (US$ 294 million) the company intends to invest next year in the country. Waldir Eschberger Jr., Market Vice President of the company, told Valor the third unit will focus on the development of drugs for the treatment of breathing diseases, as part of agreements entered into for the transfer of technology between EMS and the Governments of Cuba and China. With an aggressive posture in recent months in the segments of generics and similar drugs, the strategy of EMS this year focused on growing compared to "blockbuster" drugs (sales leaders) of leading multinationals in the market. The goal of EMS is to grab a share of R$ 1.6 billion (US$ 941.2 million), estimated with the expiration of the patent of important medicines between this year and 2011. Since the end of June, the laboratory received the approval of the Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) to sell generic and similar versions of Viagra, which fight erectile dysfunction. And it has been selling the generic for Lipitor, which treats high cholesterol, since August. On the next 15, it starts distributing the similar medicine for that drug under the brand Lipisat. Now, the plan of a national laboratory is put on the market the valsartana (that fights hypertension), by Novartis, which negotiates the product with the brand Diovan, and Seroquel (for schizophrenia), by Astrazeneca. Other two new generic and similar drugs should be launched as of 2011, according to Eschberger Jr. The decisions taken this year are in accordance with the goal outlined by the company at the end of last year. Between January and July, EMS registered earnings of R$ 1.8 billion (US$ 1.1 billion), growth of 35% compared to the same period of last year. In the same period, the company sold 128 million units (boxes of medicines), which represents growth of 26% compared to last year. The expectation of the pharmaceutical company is to increase the earnings by 30% this year, compared to 2009, which stayed at R$ 2.45 billion (US$ 1.24 billion).The units of Hortolândia (SP) and São Bernardo do Campo, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, received investments with the acquisition of new machines, allowing increasing the production of medicines from 30 million to 40 million units/month as of this month. Notwithstanding the company has set its focus on generic and similar drugs, it also wants to grow in the segment of prescription drugs. The company decided to strengthen its area of Research and Development (R&D), with the hiring of the Executive Tobias Henzel for the office of Director of the Division in the company. The Executive, formerly at Sandoz, generic arm of the Swiss Novartis, arrives with the mission of heading a team of 200 researchers, strengthening the innovation policy of the company, coordinating the development of new drugs and assuring the maintenance of the largest portfolio of pharmaceutical products of Brazil. With the inflated market because of the interest of multinationals acquiring laboratories in the country, Eschberger said the company is with an eye on acquisitions, but it has no urgency. Internationalization plans also remain in the radar of the company, but they flow at a slower pace, considering that the internal market was the main target of the pharmaceutical company this year.
