With investment of $ 150 million, the laboratory's new industrial plant is born producing six strategic inputs for cancer treatment.
Cristália already has an Oncologic Pharmaceutical Plant, which produces the final drug that reaches patients and hospitals. But for the production of these drugs, it was required to import the IFAs. The Oncological Pharmochemistry will be responsible for supplying to the pharmaceutical unit the following APIs: Zoledronic Acid, to inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption of the tumor; Bortezomib, indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Cabergoline for the treatment of prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas and idiopathic hyperprolactinemia; Anastrozole for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; Pemetrexede, for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer; and Temozolomide, which is used to treat brain cancers and for glioblastoma multiforme.
A leader in research and development, Cristália invests about 4% of annual revenues in the creation of new medicines or innovative technologies for health. The trajectory of the laboratory in the Pharmochemical segment began in 1983, the year in which the first IFA production unit was inaugurated. “Brazil still imports 90% of the IFAs needed to produce medicines. We at Cristália have already produced more than half of the inputs we use. Our goal is to drastically reduce our dependence in this area, ”says Dr. Pacheco, noting that Farmoquímica Oncológica even plans to export these inputs.
The inauguration of the new plant involved intense research to choose the most modern, safe and sustainable technologies, using special equipment, mostly purchased in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Due to the high toxicity and sensitivity of cancer inputs, handling should be performed in a special environment that ensures a physical barrier between the operators and the process.
The whole environment is controlled, ensuring extreme purity of water, air and at the right temperature. The plant also has a sophisticated and innovative waste treatment system, with specific degradation of mutagenic and genotoxic components, which can cause mutation or damage to cellular DNA. The production capacity is 6 to 8 tons per year.