How Do You Make a Hormone?

"I believe that the Brazilian pharmaceutical market has changed and improved a lot concerning regulatory demands. Nowadays it is much clearer, and we can follow all regulations," says Laurena Magnoni, formerly acclaimed for her work with Levemir at Novo Nordisk, who now heads Besins' Brazilian operations. Besins, a French family-owned company specializing in hormonal therapies and food supplements, and one of the newest entrants to Brazil, will have to get up to speed on ANVISA quickly. Hopefully, with an award-winning manager with a long history in the local market, their learning curve will be very steep. "I am very enthusiastic about the situation of Besins in Brazil. We have a great opportunity, a great market, and we can certainly reach what the company expects us to," says Magnoni, who looks forward to the first planned launch in Brazil, of Androgel, a patient-friendly natural testosterone gel developed under a novel technology, which sets it apart from the available alternatives of orals and injectables. This differentiation will be key to establishing Besins, according to Magnoni: "We have a long-term strategy to be within the top 100 pharmaceutical companies in Brazil, and we believe that with the products Besins has, it is possible."

Laurena de Lameida Magnon, regional director, Besins