Lupin has entered into an agreement with Farmanguinhos, Brazil's largest PSU in health care and the Department of of Health, Government of Brazil, for the supply of its four-in-one combinational drug (rrifampicin+isoniazide+ethambuto+pyrazinamide) for tuberculosis. Lupin will supply the product for the next five years and also provide Farmanguinhos with the desired support for the set up of the its local manufacturing in future. The agreement was signed in the presence of Brazil's health Minister, Jose Gomez Temporao.
With this agreement, Farmanguinhos has entered into a commitment to produce and supply the four-in-one combination drug to the Department of Health (Brazil), which will result in substantial savings for the government.
Vinod Dhawan, president – AAMLA & Business Development, Lupin, said, “We believe that this agreement is a very important proactive step in providing comprehensive therapeutic care in the areas of conventional TB and MDR-TB, which are pandemic in nature. Lupin is a global leader for anti-TB drugs and has long been committed to developing and providing, solutions to tackle and stem the growth of the disease globally. We feel that Lupin and Farmanguinhos together as partners are best suited to address this disease area in Brazil and the agreement further emphasizes our resolve to be an active participant in fighting these diseases in Brazil and Latin America which are markets of strategic focus for Lupin.”
The four-in-one combination reduces the pill burden on the patient drastically, particular as the treatment lasts for a at least 6 months. As per WHO, the treatment abandonment rate has fallen from 8 per cent to only 5 per cent due to this reduced pill burden provided by the combination drug. WHO estimates indicate that globally there are 9.2 million new cases each year resulting in 1.7 million deaths. In Brazil alone, it is estimated that approximately 57 million people are have already been infected by this disease with 83,000 new cases annually and 4,700 thousand deaths due to the illness.
Dr Hayne Felipe, director – Institute of Technology (Farmanguinhos), described the event as “a big example of partnership for productive development. This agreement is special because it provides a solution for an illness of epidemiological proportion and importance.”