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Conversation highlights:
- European company with a Latin American platform that enables access to medical innovation: Pint Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the commercialization of innovative therapies with the potential to transform outcomes in cancer, rare diseases, and other patient communities across Latin America. By collaborating with world-class biotech and pharma companies, Pint Pharma is committed to improving the lives of Latin American patients in areas of significant unmet medical need.
- Innovation in Latin America is driven by collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem: Sustainable progress is achieved when regulators, payers, physicians, patients, caregivers, patient organizations, and industry work in alignment to generate evidence, share insights, and address unmet medical needs. Real-world evidence is central to this effort, demonstrating the real impact innovative therapies have on patients’ lives beyond clinical trials.
- Argentina combines a deep pool of medical talent with a strong appetite for innovation, but clearer regulatory and IP frameworks are needed to unlock this potential fully: Physicians are highly trained and closely connected to global scientific advances, positioning the country as an attractive partner for innovative therapies. Greater legal certainty around intellectual property and trademarks, together with improved coordination among regulators and healthcare stakeholders, would reduce operational risk and encourage foreign companies to prioritize investment and patient access in Argentina.
- Argentina is well positioned to emerge as a regional innovation and R&D hub: Strengthening macroeconomic fundamentals, robust research capabilities, leading centres of medical excellence, and a sizeable and accessible patient population create favorable conditions for clinical trials and the expansion of regional R&D and commercial activities.
- Patients should remain at the centre of healthcare decision-making: Strategies grounded in real patient needs enable organizations to align stakeholders more effectively and create meaningful, sustainable improvements in healthcare outcomes.
EF: What attracted you to Pint Pharma? What are your key priorities and goals as General Manager?
AV: While Pint focuses on bringing the latest medical innovations to Latin America, particularly in rare diseases and other areas of high unmet medical need, other companies remain hesitant to enter the region due to market complexity and challenges associated with healthcare systems and payer environments. Rather than investing directly in research and development or manufacturing, Pint addresses this gap through strategic partnerships with innovative biotech companies seeking to expand the global reach of their therapies.
While many biotech companies were once rapidly acquired by large pharmaceutical groups, an increasing number now choose to remain independent and grow through strategic partnerships. Anticipating this shift early on, our CEO built Pint around a partnership-driven model. Today, we operate across all key Latin American markets and collaborate with multiple biotech companies. Our deep regional expertise and experience serving niche patient populations have positioned us as a trusted partner for companies seeking to make their therapies available across Latin America.
As General Manager, I draw on my experience in European biotech companies, including building organizations that operate under rigorous regulatory standards. Over the past year, I have focused on elevating performance across the organization by strengthening a culture of excellence and attracting top talent. During this period, we have renewed much of our local leadership team and reinforced the operational foundations needed to support sustainable growth.
More recently, we partnered with a leading Swedish company, further strengthening our operational standards. Our primary focus remains on bringing innovation to patients across Latin America and improving access to such. To support this mission, we actively participate in pharmaceutical industry associations alongside large multinational companies, working collaboratively to exchange perspectives and advocate for patients. In Argentina, for example, we supported the creation of a rare disease task force. While healthcare systems naturally prioritize more prevalent conditions, patients living with rare diseases also deserve answers, access to treatment, and the dignity of being seen and supported.
This role closely aligns with my personal values, particularly the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. I am continually inspired by the way our biotech partners from around the world collaborate to bring innovation to patients across Latin America, as well as by the skill and dedication of physicians and investigators in the region, many of whom deliver exceptional care despite limited resources.
While our work supports partners in expanding their reach, its true value lies in bringing innovative therapies to patients who might otherwise be left without options. That purpose sits at the core of our mission and drives my personal commitment every day.
EF: Could you briefly explain your access strategy and how you adapt it across different markets to ensure equitable patient access?
AV: Our access strategy starts from a simple principle: innovation only has value when patients can actually receive treatment. In Latin America, this means working collaboratively with all stakeholders to introduce innovative medicines in a way that is both sustainable for healthcare systems and meaningful for patients.
We focus on rethinking how therapies are launched by combining early stakeholder engagement with more flexible and creative access and payment models. Drawing on my experience in Europe, particularly in countries such as France, I have seen how access solutions can be designed to balance risk and value for governments, payers, companies, and, above all, patients. That approach requires transparency, shared responsibility, and a willingness to move beyond adversarial negotiations.
Each Latin American market requires a tailored approach. Healthcare systems across the region differ significantly in maturity, regulatory predictability, and available resources. In some countries, the priority is strengthening dialogue between governments, payers, physicians, and patient organizations to better understand the real burden of disease and the broader economic impact of untreated patients. In others, improving legal certainty or intellectual property protection is essential to encourage companies to prioritize launches.
Real-world evidence also plays an increasingly important role. While not every innovation is transformative, some therapies genuinely change lives and communities, and decisions should reflect long-term value rather than short-term cost considerations. When access pathways are blocked, physicians often resort to importing treatments for individual patients through inefficient and costly routes, which ultimately benefits no one.
Digital transformation is becoming a key enabler of equitable access across the region. Patient registries, electronic health records, and data analytics allow stakeholders to make more objective, evidence-based decisions and build trust between payers and industry. Historically, this level of data has been limited in Latin America, but rapid digitalization and widespread smartphone adoption create a real opportunity to change that.
Ultimately, our role is to bring stakeholders together, align incentives, and create solutions that allow innovation to reach patients earlier while maintaining sustainability for healthcare systems.
EF: Why is investing one dollar in healthcare in Argentina today more compelling than investing it elsewhere?
AV: The first point to consider is Argentina’s improved macroeconomic situation. Over the past two years, key economic indicators have clearly improved. Today, Argentina’s macroeconomic indicators are trending favorably, and as a result, foreign companies are returning in significant numbers, particularly compared to the past ten to fifteen years.
The second reason relates to healthcare and the pharmaceutical sector. Argentina has a strong base of well-trained physicians, researchers, and clinical investigators, making it an attractive environment for research and development. As a result, many biotech companies are selecting Argentina for clinical research, particularly in complex areas such as rare diseases (amongst others), which require specialized expertise and experienced medical centers that the country can provide.
The third factor is the population. Although Argentina is not the most populous country in the region, it has a large and accessible population to support clinical trials. This enables companies to recruit patients effectively and conduct studies efficiently.
Taken together, these three drivers make investing in healthcare in Argentina particularly compelling today.
EF: What legacy do you hope to build in healthcare through your career and current work?
AV: I feel very fortunate to have been born in a developing country, as it gave me early exposure to the real needs of patients, their families, and their communities. Throughout my career, I have chosen roles and projects that allowed me to grow professionally while creating meaningful impact, always keeping patients at the centre of decisions. That focus has been both motivating and deeply rewarding.
Working closely with stakeholders in rare diseases (amongst others), particularly patients and patient organizations, taught me the importance of staying close to those we ultimately serve. Understanding patients’ daily challenges helps translate their needs into organizational priorities and makes it easier to align stakeholders around decisions that truly matter.
For me, profit alone is not a sufficient purpose. What continues to motivate me is seeing the tangible difference this work can make in people’s lives. Meeting patients in hospitals or collaborating with advocacy groups is a powerful reminder of why healthcare exists in the first place.
This is why I encourage my teams to keep patients at the heart of everything they do, even during the most challenging moments. Remembering that there is always someone waiting for a treatment that could help them live longer or live better is the legacy I hope to leave — and how I would like my work to be remembered.
