Brazil to produce vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus

The Ministry of Health announced, this Wednesday 10, a technology transfer partnership between the Butantan Institute and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for the national production of the vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), one of the main causes of serious respiratory infections in babies, including bronchiolitis.

The first 1.8 million doses are expected to be delivered by the end of this year. In February, the ministry confirmed the vaccine's incorporation into the Unified Health System (SUS). With the agreement, distribution of the RSV vaccine in the public health system for pregnant women and babies is expected to begin in the second half of November.

Pregnant women should be immunized with a single dose starting at the 28th week of pregnancy. Maternal vaccination, according to the ministry, promotes the transfer of antibodies to the baby, contributing to protection in the first months of life, the period of greatest vulnerability to RSV.

According to the ministry, the virus is responsible for 80% of bronchiolitis cases and 60% of pneumonia cases in children under 2 years of age. For every five infected children, one requires outpatient care, and on average, one in 50 is hospitalized in the first year of life.

Data from the ministry also shows that, in Brazil, approximately 20,000 babies under one year of age are hospitalized annually. The risk is highest among premature babies, whose mortality rate is seven times higher than that of full-term children—a group that represents 12% of births in the country.

“The vaccine has the potential to prevent around 28,000 hospitalizations per year, offers immediate protection to newborns and will benefit approximately 2 million live births,” the statement said.

Multiple sclerosis

Brazil will also begin producing, through a productive development partnership (PDP), the natalizumab , a biological drug used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. According to the ministry, the technology transfer will be carried out by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz to the Butantan Institute.

"The country's vulnerability in the supply of inputs during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent episodes related to the application of abusive tariffs on Brazilian exports reinforce the importance of the sovereignty of the SUS to guarantee the population's access to medicines and treatments," the ministry assessed in a statement.

Natalizumab is indicated for patients with the highly active relapsing-remitting form, which accounts for approximately 85% of cases, and who have not responded adequately to other treatments. The drug has been offered by the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) since 2020, but currently only one manufacturer is registered in the country.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system and primarily affects young adults between the ages of 18 and 55. It is characterized by demyelination of the myelin sheath, which allows the conduction of electrical impulses responsible for controlling the body's functions.