Ministry of Health, Fiocruz and Butantan Institute sign partnership declaration

On Thursday (12/7), Brazilian Health minister, Nísia Trindade Lima, signed a joint declaration of intent with Fiocruz's president, Mario Moreira, and the director of the Butantan Institute, Espes Kallás, to establish partnerships aimed at accelerating the development of technological platforms and local production. The signing took place during the meeting of the Executive Group of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (Geceis) of the Ministry of Health (MS), in Brasília, seeking to strengthen the national Health Economic-Industrial Complex and increase the Brazilian population's access to strategic products through the Unified Health System (SUS). 

The agreement will strengthen the national Health Economic-Industrial Complex and expand the Brazilian population's access to strategic products through the SUS (photo: Ministry of Health/Brazil)

Health minister, Nísia Trindade, emphasized that inter-ministerial and intersectoral work strengthens the Health Economic-Industrial Complex. "Different ministries, federal institutions, private sectors, social movements and all those joining forces are involved so that Brazil can meet the target of achieving 70% autonomy in national production within 10 years [...] At a time when the country is assuming the presidency of the G20, it is essential that we have this strategy thinking about articulation, with health, science, technology and innovation as the pillars of all the work," she said.

The joint declaration between the institutions and the Ministry of Health aims to promote research, development and innovation in technological platforms with a focus on new products and advanced therapies, vaccines, serums and biotechnological products, taking place within the scope of the National Strategy for the Development of the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (Ceis), established by Decree No. 11.715, of September 26, 2023, and Ordinance GM/MS 1.354, of September 27, 2023. The projects to be developed by the institutions will also be the subject of specific agreements.

"Fiocruz has modernized its industrial facilities and product portfolio thanks to the Productive Development Partnerships (PDPs) policy, which is being reinvigorated with very innovative instruments. This partnership with Butantan makes sense given the need for institutional arrangements to guarantee the implementation of this Policy. What we are putting forward is much more than the sum of two institutes, it is the possibility of giving power and an institutional and industrial base for this policy to develop," said Fiocruz's president, Mario Moreira.

The technical director of the Butantan Institute, Esper Kallás, emphasized the importance of the partnership between the two institutions. "Fiocruz's proximity to us is fundamental both in terms of gaining production capacity to serve the Ministry of Health and the SUS, and also in terms of innovation, development and creation of new technologies," he said.