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Embrapii Center, CNPEM and Ministry of Health aim to transform plants, microorganisms, and natural compounds into future medicines, still without a timeline to reach the market.
The initiative brings together Embrapii, CNPEM, and Ministry of Health, with an investment of R$ 60 million for the first four years of operation.
Despite the strategic potential, the project still does not have a defined timeline to reduce the country’s external dependency in drug manufacturing.
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Currently, according to Abiquifi, more than 90% of the APIs used by the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry are imported. In some segments, this dependency reaches 95%.
Center will be installed in Campinas and will focus on initial research
The Competence Center in API from Brazilian Biodiversity, called CC-IFABR, will be installed at CNPEM, in Campinas, São Paulo.
The proposal is to identify molecules present in Brazilian plants, animals, and microorganisms with the potential to become medicines in the future.
During the first four years, the center is not expected to produce ready-made medicines for the SUS.
The work will focus on initial stages, such as molecule discovery, refinement, and pre-clinical studies.
Cancer and emerging infections will be the first fronts
The first research areas will be cancer treatments, focusing on immunotherapy, and therapies for emerging infections.
According to Daniela Trivella, coordinator of CC-IFABR at CNPEM, two projects are already underway.
One of them investigates a molecule obtained from a plant in the Caatinga, with the potential to stimulate the immune system against tumors.
Another project seeks to develop, from a microorganism, a molecule to treat sepsis, a severe generalized infection that can lead to organ failure.
Medicines are still far from the shelves
None of the projects should result in a drug available within the initial timeframe of the center.
Before that, the molecules will need to undergo human testing, approval by Anvisa, and industrial-scale development.
According to Alvaro Prata, president of Embrapii, it is still not possible to estimate when the project will reduce Brazil’s dependency on imported APIs.
There is also no forecast on the proportion of this potential reduction.
The challenge between scientific discovery and industrial production
One of the biggest obstacles in the sector is transforming a scientific discovery into industrial production.
This process is known to researchers as the “valley of death”, a phase in which many promising projects end up abandoned.
To tackle this bottleneck, the center intends to develop more efficient and sustainable production routes.
One of the main bets will be a biofoundry, an automated platform with robotics and artificial intelligence.
The technology will be able to optimize microorganisms capable of producing molecules of pharmaceutical interest.
Patents, biodiversity, and benefit sharing
Another concern involves the economic use of Brazilian biodiversity.
According to Prata, the strategy is to transform natural compounds into new patentable molecules.
The preference will be to license these molecules to companies established in Brazil.
The project must also comply with legislation on genetic heritage and benefit sharing.
Traditional communities and researchers involved should receive the participation provided by law.
Ministry of Health talks about the long term
In a statement, the Ministry of Health stated that the R$ 60 million is already fully committed to the contract with Embrapii.
The ministry emphasized that the center was not created to immediately replace imported APIs.
According to the ministry, the goal is to structure research, development, capacity building, and knowledge generation.
The monitoring will be conducted semiannually by a committee with the participation of the ministry itself.
What may change in the coming years
The announced investment only funds the first phase of the center.
Continuity will depend on securing new resources, including participation from the pharmaceutical industry.
So far, there are no confirmed partners or values for a second stage.
At the end of the initial four years, Brazil will not necessarily have a measurable reduction in imports.
In the best-case scenario, the country will have more advanced molecules, ready to begin the long stage of human testing.
Even so, the center may create an important scientific base to bring Brazilian biodiversity closer to national drug production.
Do you believe that Brazil should invest more in biodiversity research to reduce dependence on imported APIs, even if the results take years to reach the market? Share your opinion!
