Present in Brazil for more than 77 years and a pioneer in the discovery and use of immunotherapy in the fight against cancer, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is among the main pharmaceutical companies in the world.
The positioning is due to the constant investment in innovation and strategic acquisitions that seek to discover, develop and make available cutting-edge medicines capable of transforming the lives of patients facing serious illnesses.
One of the most relevant actions was the acquisition of Celgene, which holds expertise in the field of hematology oncology. 🇧🇷With the transaction, finalized in November 2019, we created a company focused on science and innovation. It was and still is the largest acquisition in the history of the global pharmaceutical industry, valued at US$74 billion. Oncology, hematology, cardiovascular and immunology are areas that BMS is well versed in, and the acquisition of Celgene has allowed the company to diversify and deepen the pipeline, further expanding leadership in this space.”, explains Verônica Baar, Director of Hematology at BMS Brasil.
Turning challenges into new possibilities
Through the company’s more robust product portfolio, the company has redefined treatment for many hematological conditions, such as multiple myeloma (MM), lymphoma, anemia and myeloid diseases, which include acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, and renewed hope for both those suffering from these diagnoses and their family members.
To get an idea, according to the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2020 MM was responsible for more than 176,000 new cases and about 117,000 deaths of patients in both sexes. The worldwide incidence, in the same year, was 1.8 cases/100,000 inhabitants with a worldwide mortality rate of 1.1 deaths/100,000 inhabitants. In Brazil, data from the Oncology Brazil Panel show that, between 2013 and 2019, around 2,600 cases were diagnosed annually, in both sexes, estimating 1.24 cases/100,000 inhabitants[2]🇧🇷
According to Patricia Faustino, Medical Director of Hematology, multiple myeloma is a disease with many faces [1]🇧🇷 🇧🇷Diagnosis is usually based on clinical and laboratory manifestations, including bone pain, weakness, hypercalcemia, kidney damage, anemia, and bone lesions. The shift in the therapeutic approach to MM has enabled unprecedented improvement in short- and long-term patient outcomes. The development of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) contributed significantly to these better results”, she explains.
Passion for life, innovation in science
It is precisely to transform the lives of patients with hematological diseases, who live with these and other difficulties on a daily basis, that BMS works every day.
🇧🇷We create a Research and Development (R&D) environment that channels inspiration into exploration. Driven by the vision of transforming lives through science, we pursue new standards of care with one of the most diverse and promising pipelines in the industry, with more than 50 drugs in development across 40 disease areas. Annual investment in R&D during 2021 was more than US$ 11 billion, highlights Patricia Faustino. In Brazil alone, BMS currently has 51 clinical studies distributed in approximately 340 research centers and more than 1500 patients treated. “We have partnerships with approximately 90 health education and research institutions in the country where our research centers are located, the vast majority of which are phase 2 and 3 studies. Our investment in 2021 in R&D in Brazil was US$13 million“, he counts.
The Medical Director of Hematology also explains that the R&D organization is made up of researchers who are passionate about science, curious about discovery and committed to translating these advances that make a difference in the lives of patients and who are developing science through medicines discovered internally as well as in external partnerships.
🇧🇷Partnership and collaboration are essential to our strategy. We anchor ourselves in vibrant healthcare innovation ecosystems, where academic research centers and biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies contribute to continued scientific advancement. We market therapies with a strong sense of urgency and maximum precision and care🇧🇷
With these advances, BMS has been transforming how care is provided and received. “We harness the collective power of data and analytics to accelerate the process, demonstrate the value of our medicines and help inform clinical decisions. And, we are deepening our understanding of disease biology and discovering biomarkers to help predict how patients will respond to treatment. All with the objective of offering patients the medicines they need and that transform lives”, concludes the Medical Director of Hematology at BMS Brasil.
References:
[1] Hematology. 2022 Dec;27(1):928-931. doi: 10.1080/16078454.2022.2112643
[2] Brazil Oncology Panel – DataSus: http://tabnet.datasus.gov.br/cgi/dhdat.exe?PAINEL_ONCO/PAINEL_ONCOLOGIABR.def
Source: CNN Brasil
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