Brazil and South Korea Cement Strategic Health Partnership with R$1.1 Billion Investment
Brazil and South Korea sign strategic health cooperation agreements with R$1.1 billion investment to boost domestic production of critical medicines and foster biomedical innovation.
- • Brazil signed three Partnerships for Productive Development for producing bevacizumab, eculizumab, and aflibercept.
- • Estimated R$1.1 billion government investment in the first year to enhance national medicine production.
- • A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to boost cooperation in biomedical innovation and digital health.
- • The agreements aim to strengthen Brazil's healthcare sovereignty and improve access to high-cost therapies.
Key details
During the official visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to South Korea, Brazil advanced its health sector cooperation through significant agreements targeting the domestic production of strategic medicines. Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha signed three Partnerships for Productive Development (PDPs) focused on producing key medicines including bevacizumab, eculizumab, and aflibercept. This initiative is backed by an estimated government investment of R$1.104 billion in its first year.
These measures aim to enhance Brazil's healthcare sovereignty by increasing national production capabilities, mitigating supply vulnerabilities within the Unified Health System (SUS), and improving access to high-cost therapies. The production of aflibercept, critical for treating age-related macular degeneration, involves public-private cooperation with Fundação Ezequiel Dias (Funed), Bionovis S.A., and Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltda. Similar arrangements for bevacizumab and eculizumab reinforce domestic pharmaceutical capacities.
Furthermore, Brazil and South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration in biomedical innovation, digital health, and clinical excellence. This was part of broader outcomes totaling six agreements aimed at joint health technology production and capacity building. Padilha highlighted Brazil’s ongoing SUS digital transformation and extended an invitation for South Korea’s participation in the G20-led Coalition for Production, Innovation, and Access to Health Technologies.
These health-related agreements complement a wider cooperation framework signed simultaneously covering strategic sectors like digital economy and bioeconomy, with the Brazilian government anticipating up to R$300 billion in investments from the broader South Korea trip. The health initiative underscores Brazil’s commitment to building strategic autonomy in pharmaceuticals and enhancing healthcare resilience amid evolving global challenges.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
Source articles (2)
Source comparison
Estimated investment amount
Sources report different estimated investment amounts from the partnership with South Korea.
gov.br
"This initiative represents an estimated investment of R$ 1.104 billion in the first year from the Brazilian government through the Ministry of Health."
cnnbrasil.com.br
"The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency anticipates that the trip will result in investments amounting to R$ 300 billion."
Why this matters: One source states an estimated investment of R$ 1.104 billion specifically for health initiatives, while the other mentions a broader investment expectation of R$ 300 billion from the overall partnership. This discrepancy significantly affects the understanding of the scale and focus of the investments being discussed.