The public production of medicines compared to the National Policy of Medicines and the burden of disease in Brazil

Country data on AMR in Brazil in the context of community-acquired respiratory tract infections: links between antibiotic susceptibility, local and international antibiotic prescribing guidelines, access to medicine and clinical outcome

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global public health. Selection of resistant bacteria is driven by inappropriate use of antibiotics, amongst other factors. COVID-19 may have exacerbated AMR due to unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. Country-level knowledge is needed to understand options for action.

Objectives

To review the situation with respect to AMR in Brazil and initiatives addressing it. Identifying areas where more information is required will provide a call to action to minimize any further rises in AMR within Brazil and to improve patient outcomes.

Methods

National initiatives to address AMR, antibiotic use and prescribing in Brazil, and availability of susceptibility data, particularly for the key community-acquired respiratory tract infections (CA-RTI) pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, were identified. National and international antibiotic prescribing guidelines for CA-RTIs (community-acquired pneumonia, acute otitis media and acute bacterial rhinosinusitis) commonly used locally were also reviewed, along with local antibiotic availability.

Conclusions

In Brazil there have been some initiatives addressing AMR such as the National Action Plan for AMR, established in 2018. Antibiotic consumption in Brazil is high but a ban on over-the-counter sales of antibiotics has led to a decrease in consumption. Local antibiotic susceptibility testing needs to be increased and the Survey of Antibiotic Resistance (SOAR) study in Brazil will provide useful data for pathogens causing CA-RTIs. A more standardized inclusive approach in developing local guidelines, using up-to-date surveillance data of isolates from community-acquired infections in Brazil, could make guideline use more locally relevant for clinicians. This would pave the way for a higher level of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and improved adherence. This would, in turn, potentially limit AMR development and improve clinical outcomes for patients.

The public production of medicines in Brazil

The paper aims to contribute as a reflection on the public production of medicines in Brazil. Public producers present themselves as strategic in Brazil, either as price regulators, in meeting the demands of the Ministry of Health (MoH) on neglected products and those at risk of shortage to SUS. The study used the official bases of the MoH, National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and Website of Official Pharmaceutical Laboratories (OPL). Thirty-three OPL were identified, 16 with active production of drug registration at ANVISA. For the remaining 17 LFOs, no one identified active portfolio in the bases surveyed. There are 80% of the OPL portfolio concentrated in the first level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification, such as alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood forming organs, cardiovascular system, anti-infective for systemic use and nervous system. The OPL participation in the health complex is 48.6% of its portfolio dedicated to the strategic component, 30.6% for primary care and 20.7% for the specialized. It concludes the relevance of the OPL for the Brazilian health policy, with the better realignment of their potential in the face of technological advancement, health legislation, drug dependence and new treatment protocols.