Latin America (also referred to as LATAM) is a vast region with almost 600 million people \u2013 and therefore, many people there are impacted by rare diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving a presence in LATAM is incredibly important for PTC, as it allows us to increase access to our treatments for people living with rare diseases in this expansive region\u201d said Bruce Braughton, SVP & GM, Americas, PTC. \u201cOur dedicated team operates in 13 different countries in the region, with dedicated and passionate employees across these diverse countries. PTC\u2019s operations in LATAM are separated into two distinct sub-regions: SAM and Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAM is located in the Americas territory and includes essentially all of Latin America except for Brazil. \u201cS\u201d stands for the countries in the South Cone (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay), \u201cA\u201d stands for Andean countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru), and \u201cM\u201d for Mexico. SAM covers almost 340 million people and currently benefits around 200 patients with four therapies and programs in 12 countries, supported by nearly 40 employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSAM is very dynamic not only due to the diversity of countries and cultures, the political and economic instability, but also due to its territorial extension,\u201d explains Joeli Mansim, VP & GM SAM Region, PTC. Each sub-region of SAM manages more than one country, or a major country. The level of complexity in each one of these sub-regions is very high: The healthcare systems are different in each country of each sub-region, requiring expertise, knowledge, and a lot of resilience to navigate each of these elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis requires a special level of people and engagement to succeed,\u201d says Joeli. \u201cPeople moved by passion and entrepreneurism, people that want to be better and want to make the world better for the patients and their families \u2013 this is our LATAM team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PTC also has a strong presence in Brazil, the largest country in LATAM with 215 million inhabitants and more than 13 million people living with rare diseases. In Brazil, patients have access to rare diseases therapies through judicial process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n