Photo: screengrab from the official website of Brasil 247

By Brasil 247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the expanded Aché pharmaceuticals plant on Friday, February 13, 2026, in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, and said Brazil should advance toward sovereignty in medicine production, stating, "Brazil will become a powerhouse in the production of medicines."

According to information released by Agência Gov, the visit took place at the Suape Industrial Port Complex, where the new unit is set to begin operating in 2026, with capacity to produce up to 40 million medicines per year, including hospital-use injectables and eye drops.

Lula said Brazil has already reduced part of its external dependence and argued that the country was once treated as incapable of producing its own medicines. He cited figures mentioned during the visit, saying "60% of medicines are already produced in Brazil," and added that the country has "conditions to produce 100% of our medicines here," stressing he wants Brazil "sovereign in the health issue."

Aché CEO José Vicente Marino responded to Lula's challenge with optimism, saying, "We will get there." Lula reiterated his goal, saying, "You can be sure that if there is someone who dreams of reaching 100%, it is me, because I want Brazil sovereign in the health issue. We believe Brazil will become a powerhouse in the production of medicines."

Health Minister Alexandre Padilha also attended and said national production is decisive for supplying the Unified Health System (SUS) and strengthening the country's technological capacity. He highlighted cooperation with public institutions, stating, "Aché has partnerships with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation," and said these collaborations seek to "take technology of medicines from other countries to bring here, develop here, generate jobs, income, technology and treatment for people here."

The government said the expansion involves R$ 267 million in financing from BNDES and Banco do Nordeste, with automation and advanced industrial technology aimed at scaling up national output. It also said that since the plant was installed in 2019, the facility has accumulated R$ 1.6 billion in federal incentives for expansion.

With the strengthened Pernambuco site and consolidation of its industrial park, Aché's total capacity could reach up to 700 million units per year, with an estimated 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The expansion is framed by the government as part of a wider health reindustrialization strategy under the Economic-Industrial Health Complex (CEIS), aimed at expanding local production of medicines, vaccines and medical equipment while reducing dependence on international markets. The policy is linked to the Nova Indústria Brasil (NIB) initiative to boost industrial and technological development.

The federal government said Health Ministry investment under the health industrial complex totals around R$ 15 billion for sector development and that since 2023 it has signed 31 new partnerships involving public and private entities to develop vaccines, medicines and strategic inputs.

The government also noted that Aché is part of Bionovis and participates in Productive Development Partnerships (PDP) focused on domestic production of high-technology biological medicines supplied to SUS for chronic noncommunicable and rare diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and cancer.

(Reported by Brasil 247 on February 14, 2026)