Argentina has an important pharmaceutical sector, being the third largest market in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. Pharmaceutical companies from Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the US are stablished in Argentina. Argentine market has extensive experience in the incorporation of foreign investments for the sector as well as offers multiple business opportunities.
Argentina has around 65 biotech companies working on human health, showing strengths in the development of generics and biosimilars. Over a dozen of these companies are exporting biosimilars, primarily to other countries in the region and to Asia. Sales to China, India and Vietnam increased by 179 per cent between 2003 and 2017. Some of these companies also manufacture their products in Asia. For example, Bagó, through a joint venture, produces biosimilars in Pakistan. Others such as BioNovis SA fill and finish local products that were developed abroad. The Insud group for instance, entered an agreement with AstraZeneca and Liomont of Mexico to produce a COVID-19 vaccines [1].
In Argentina, local firms play a leading role in manufacturing pharmaceuticals. Measured by their share of market sales, only two out of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies operating in Argentina (Sanofi and Bayer) are foreign multinationals [2]. This market is characterized by a high degree of concentration, around 20 laboratories account for 70% of the market.
Some of the most important domestic pharmaceutical companies in Argentina are shown in Table 1.
| Table 1: Top domestic pharmaceutical companies in Argentina
|
| Pharma company
|
Manufactures
|
Exporting countries
|
| Roemmers
|
Generics
|
– Other countries in LA: Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela and Paraguay
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| Gador
|
Biologicals, branded generics, APIs
|
– Other countries in LA
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| Bagó
|
Generics
|
– Other countries in LA
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| Elea Phoenix
|
mAbs, therapeutic vaccines
|
– Other countries in LA
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| Grupo Insud (Chemo, Exeltis, mAbxience)
|
Generics, biosimilars, APIs
|
– Other countries in LA
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| Laboratorio Pablo Cassará SRL
|
Generics
|
– Other countries in LA
– Western Europe
– Asia
|
| APIs: active pharmaceutical ingredients; LA: Latin America; mAbs: monoclonal antibodies.
|
From the pharmaceutical companies described in Table 1, only Elea Phoenix and mAbxience produce biosimilars (two monoclonal antibodies). Some of them only produce off-patent biologicals approved prior to the ANMAT provisions regulating biosimilars in 2011, so they are not biosimilars because they have not undergone the necessary studies to achieve this qualification.
This article belongs to the series of articles which discuss the study results of pharmaceuticals development in other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean like Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba.
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Argentinian gastroenterologist groups issued position statement on biosimilar use
Regulatory landscape for similar biotherapeutic products in Latin America
| LATIN AMERICAN FORUM The new section of the ‘Latin American Forum’ on GaBI has been launched. The objective of this new section is to provide you with all the latest news and updates on developments of generic and biosimilar medicines in Latin America in Spanish. View this week’s headline article: Directrices revisadas de la OMS para los biosimilares: antecedentes científicos Browse the news in the Latin American Forum! Register to receive the GaBI Latin American Forum newsletter. Inform colleagues and friends of this new initiative. LATIN AMERICAN FORUM Se ha lanzado la nueva sección del ‘Foro Latinoamericano’ sobre GaBI. El objetivo de esta nueva sección es brindarle las últimas noticias y actualizaciones sobre desarrollos de medicamentos genéricos y biosimilares en América Latina en español. Vea el artículo principal de esta semana: Directrices revisadas de la OMS para los biosimilares: antecedentes científicos !Explore las noticias en el Foro Latinoamericano! Regístrese para recibir el boletín informativo GaBI Foro Latinoamericano. Informe a colegas y amigos sobre esta nueva iniciativa.
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References
1. Vargas V, Rama M, Singh R. Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean: players, access, and innovation across diverse models. 3 January 2022. World Bank. Available from: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36871 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
2. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Pharmaceutical companies in Latin America and the Caribbean[www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2022 Jul 8]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/generics/general/pharmaceutical-companies-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean
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