São Paulo – Based in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the company Bioclin is interested in doing business with Arab countries. To make its way into those markets, the healthcare company, which specializes in the development of diagnostic kits, looks to meet the regulatory requirements of Middle East and North Africa countries.
Bioclin innovation manager Mayerson Thompson explains that each country has its own regulations, which often means a more complex and protracted process before full compliance is achieved. “But we are very much interested in going down this route,” Mayerson told ANBA.
In the past six years, the company has been in contact with the Arab countries and determined that they are a very promising buying market.
“Since we first went to Medlab Middle East, back in 2019, we haven’t seen many tangible deals because our work takes time to develop. But right now, we are trying to break into some North African countries,” explains Mayerson.
The annual trade show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is joined by medical laboratory companies from around the world. According to Mayerson, attending it is a must for a company like Bioclin.
“Our first time there, despite its relevance to the industry, the show was still small, so we sent only one Bioclin employee. Six years later, we sent an entire team to cater to all the people interested in learning more about our products.”
For its sixth stint at Medlab Middle East, in February 2025, the company chose to showcase its products at a larger stand to drive deals. In addition to Medlab Middle East, Bioclin has been to domestic and international congresses.
The company joined the trade show as a part of the Brazilian Health Devices project, an initiative of the Brazilian Medical Device Industry Association (Abimo) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) to foster industry exports.
History of the business
Established in 1977 by a Biochemistry professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Bioclin initially manufactured biochemical tests and nothing else. Over time, it developed fast molecular biology tests and genetic tests.
Best-selling products will vary greatly, since Bioclin boasts a vast product portfolio, and also as a function of region and time of year, according to Bioclin’s innovation manager. “But we sell large volumes of our HIV and syphilis screening tests all year round.”
In catering to federal and state governments in Brazil, in addition to making diagnostic test kits, Bioclin is also targeting the veterinary sector.
“We have been noticing that dog and cat diagnostics is a booming, emerging market, so we are also focusing on serving it,” says Mayerson.
The Brazilian company has 300 employees who work to meet domestic and international demand. Bioclin ships product to South American countries including Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile, and it is working to reach Central America this year.
By Rebecca Vettore, in collaboration with ANBA
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Brazilian business mission to head to North Africa
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
