“You chose the right place to invest; Brazil will be the world’s largest economy.” This is how the Vice President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), began his speech during the ceremony to expand the Brazilian factory of Boston Scientific, the world leader in the development of medical technologies.
With an investment of R$ 120 million, the American company is tripling the production capacity of heart valves made with pig tissue, going from 20,000 to 60,000 units per year.The Vice President under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was greeted by the company’s directors and the mayor of Contagem, Marília Campos (PT).
Also present were doctors and patients using the heart valves developed by Boston Scientific.
In his speech during the ceremony, Alckmin, who is also the Minister of Development, Trade, Industry, and Development, made a point of saying that in his view, Brazil is the “savior of the planet” when it comes to technology and the environment.
“We are privileged with subsurface containing oil, gas, niobium, lithium, nickel, gold, and iron ore. We have a competitive agriculture, in my view, the best in the world. We have surpassed even the United States. We have a diversified industry, including airplanes.
And here I commit to amplifying the pharmaceutical industry. My utmost respect to Boston Scientific. President Lula’s government launched the New Industry Brazil (NIB). We want an innovative Brazilian industry, and here we are in an innovative industry, at the forefront and cutting edge of science.”
Alckmin also mentioned that Brazil is among the fastest-growing countries in the world. He referred to the tax reform, which completely exempts investments and exports. “Studies show that we can increase Brazil’s GDP by 15%, boost exports by 17%,” he continued.
He then addressed environmental policies. “I express my support for a sustainable industry.
What will save the planet is the BIC: B for Brazil – the largest tropical forest in the world, I for Indonesia – the largest tropical forest in Asia, and C for Congo – the largest tropical forest in Africa,” he joked.
In the audience, there were Federal Deputy Greyce Elias (Avante) and State Deputies Noraldino Junior (PSC) and Jean Freire (PT), all invited by Boston Scientific to the ceremony.
According to the company, it is expected that in three years, exports will reach R$ 780 million. With this investment, Boston Scientific aims to meet the growing demand in the regions where it already operates with the technology, such as Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and also plans to enter the North American market.
There are already more than 70,000 patients who have received the company’s valves worldwide.Biological valveWith the names Acurate Neo and Acurate Neo 2, the Boston Scientific valve has been produced in Brazil since 2016 and manufactured from tissue extracted from pigs.
After undergoing chemical treatment that makes it inert, meaning it does not cause rejection in humans, the porcine pericardium is sewn onto a nitinol metal structure, forming the implantable product.
The Brazilian factory of Boston Scientific, the world leader in the development of medical technologies Leandro Couri/EM/DA PRESSThe transcatheter implantation technique is known as TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) and the first transplant occurred 22 years ago.
It is a minimally invasive cardiac procedure that replaces some types of open-heart surgeries, providing more safety and speed to the patient, as well as a significant reduction in the risk of death. The valve is placed inside a catheter, which is inserted through a small cut in the femoral artery and reaches the heart.
In addition to lower risk, the recovery is much faster.To monitor the prosthesis’s functioning, medical follow-up is required. Currently, approximately 280,000 surgeries for valve prosthesis implantation are carried out each year worldwide, according to the Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo).
Rio Grande do SulDuring his visit to Contagem, Alckmin also spoke about the tragedies caused by storms and floods in Rio Grande do Sul. According to him, all necessary measures for the state’s recovery are being taken by the federal government.
“President Lula made it clear that there will be no shortage of resources to rebuild Rio Grande do Sul. The first step was to save lives. Therefore, I leave here all the support of the Armed Forces, firefighters, and Civil Defense for the assistance to families.
“When asked by the Estado de Minas if he intends to visit the affected areas in the South, Alckmin mentioned that he has an agenda in Caxias do Sul. And since President Lula has already been to the state, it may not be necessary to visit the affected region.”
