Vaccine becomes Pfizers new bet in the country
Valor Econômico
The American Pharmaceutical company Pfizer will intensify its sale of vaccines in Brazil. The company is waiting for an authorization of the Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) this semester in order to negotiate the Prevenar 13, a more efficient product to fight pneumococcal diseases that are responsible for one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world.
This segment has become the fourth biggest business of Pfizer in Brazil, after the acquisition of Wyeth last year, for US$ 68 billion. The international division of vaccines of the pharmaceutical company is responsible for US$ 3 billion in earnings. Lipitor, a product that fights high cholesterol, is the international leader of the company, with US$ 13 billion in sales, followed by Enbrel, a biological medicine indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and Viagra. "The segment of vaccines has become an important pillar for Pfizer", said Marcus Diniz, Director of the area of vaccines of the company.
In Brazil, Pfizer already sells vaccines for the combat of pneumococcal diseases with Prevenar 7, and against meningitis C, with Meningitec. "Prevenar 13, which was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) last week, is a more complete vaccine", said Diniz. The new medicine has six other serotypes, compared to Prevenar 7, explained Diniz. "There are nearly 90 types of bacteria that cause pneumococcal diseases. Prevenar 13 covers 90% of them, compared to the 70% covered by the vaccine that is currently on the market", he said. According to him, the new product has a wider range, with greater efficiency against the serotype known as 19A, one of the most resistant and feared ones in such cases.
According to Diniz, the company should submit a new dossier the Anvisa in order to sell the Prevenar 13 for adults above 50 years of age. The authorization that is being awaited by the company is for the application in the country in children after they are two months old and between 12 and 15 months of age. The vaccine should be sold, at a first moment, to the private sector.
The company has other medicines in its "pipeline" that are still under research, aimed at fighting meningitis B, intra-hospital infections and Alzheimer's disease. "These products are part of the portfolio of the company over the next five years. The research for the meningitis vaccine is in phase 2. Fighting the Staphylococci Aureus, one of the most common bacteria in intra-hospital infections, is in phase 1, and the research for Alzheimer's disease, considered a revolutionary product, is in phase 3", he said. Pfizer's global investment on research and development amounted to US$ 7.7 billion last year, which corresponds to nearly 15% of the earnings of the company.
With the acquisition of Wyeth, Pfizer starts operating in four areas in Brazil: pharmaceutical, consumer products, animal health and capsugel, with six business units. This recent purchase turned the American multinational into one of the most diversified companies of the pharmaceutical industry. In the world, the businesses of the company are divided into biopharmaceuticals and diversified businesses.