Baxter announces haemophilia therapy access project in Brazil

Baxter has announced a new 20-year alliance with Hemobras (Empresa Brasileira de Hemoderivados e Biotechnologia) which aims to expand access to haemophilia A therapies.

The agreement will see the two organisations working together to provide patients with greater access to recombinant factor VIII therapy, with Baxter becoming the nation's exclusive provider of this treatment for the next decade.

During this time, the pharmaceutical company will also assist in a technology transfer to support development of local manufacturing capacity by Hemobras.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 people in Brazil are living with haemophilia A, with the vast majority of these receiving treatment using plasma-derived FVIII therapies.

Robert Parkinson Jr, Baxter's chairman and chief executive officer, said: "This agreement establishes Baxter as the provider of choice in Brazil and builds upon Baxter's long-standing presence in this large and growing market."

Last month, the company published its financial report for the third quarter of 2012, during which its fiscal performance was roughly level with that of Q3 2011.