SAO PAULO, Brazil – Pharmacovigilance is emerging as a key concern for the development and distribution of biosimilars in Latin America. Experts gathered this week for the BIO Latin America conference focused on the issue and highlighted what they see as a key concern, one that is holding back the spread of that new class of drugs throughout the region.

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Latin America is following the lead of other developed markets by ramping up its focus on personalized medicine, but there are challenges, including the higher costs of those medicines and a lack of regulations.

BOGOTA, Colombia – The Mexican health surveillance agency Cofepris issued an alert about the presence in the country of counterfeited batches of Herceptin (trastuzumab, Roche Holding AG). The alert followed an investigation conducted by the agency after the Swiss drug maker filed a complaint and warned the federal authorities of the counterfeited product in the market.

BOGOTA, Colombia - Grupo Laboratorios Imperiales Pharma SA de C.V. (Laboratorios Imperiales), from Jiutepec, Mexico, the distributor of measles-rubella (MR) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., was banned from signing public contracts with Mexico's public entities for 27 months and fined MX$1.088 million (US$55,478) after it breached two public contracts with the country's Secretariat of Health to provide the country with vaccines.

BOGOTA, Colombia - Grupo Laboratorios Imperiales Pharma SA de C.V. (Laboratorios Imperiales), from Jiutepec, Mexico, the distributor of measles-rubella (MR) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., was banned from signing public contracts with Mexico's public entities for 27 months and fined MX$1.088 million (US$55,478) after it breached two public contracts with the country's Secretariat of Health to provide the country with vaccines.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Argentina, hit by a challenging economic crisis, is struggling to supply vaccines to its population. The most recent shortages affect Menveo, a vaccine produced by Glaxosmithkline plc for preventing meningococcal disease.