Samsung Bioepis targets Brazil’s rare disease treatment market with 10-year supply contract

[Financial News] Samsung Bioepis has signed a contract with the Brazilian government to supply biosimilars for rare disease treatments (copies of biologic medicines). It will expand its product lineup to three by adding a Soliris biosimilar to its existing Enbrel and Herceptin biosimilars, stepping up its push in Latin America’s largest pharmaceutical market.
 Samsung Bioepis said on the 20th that it had signed a local partnership agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Health to supply its Soliris biosimilar, SB12 (active ingredient: eculizumab). Under the tender, Samsung Bioepis will supply the product to Brazil’s government-led market for 10 years starting next year.
 SB12 is a treatment for rare diseases including paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). It received marketing approval from Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) in December 2024. Brazil’s eculizumab market was worth approximately 250 billion won ($170 million) last year, and Samsung Bioepis expects the long-term supply contract to provide a stable revenue base.
 Brazil is a major market, accounting for about half of the pharmaceutical market in Latin America as a whole. In 2024, the market for original biologic medicines reached approximately 23 trillion won ($15.6 billion).
 The contract is being pursued under Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s Productive Development Partnership (PDP) program. Samsung Bioepis plans to supply the product in cooperation with local pharmaceutical company Bionovis and state-owned research institution Bahiafarma, and to transfer technology to its local partners during the contract period. The PDP program links medicine supply with technology transfer to strengthen local production capacity.
 Samsung Bioepis has supplied its Enbrel biosimilar SB4 (active ingredient: etanercept) to Brazil through PDP contracts since 2019, and its Herceptin biosimilar SB3 (active ingredient: trastuzumab) since 2020. Cumulative supplies of the two products have exceeded 6 million units. With the SB12 contract, the company will expand its product lineup in Brazil to three.
 Jinhan Jung, head of Samsung Bioepis’ CS3 team and an executive vice president, said, “We will contribute to improving access to medicines for people with rare diseases in Brazil through a stable supply of high-quality medicines,” adding, “We will also contribute to the long-term development of Brazil’s biopharmaceutical industry by working with local partners.” 

[email protected] Sanghee Jung Reporter