New arthritis drugs will be offered at SUS

 Currently, 10 drugs are available for the treatment of the disease, in 15 different presentations. The Ministry of Health (MS) is going to incorporate five new drugs into the Unified Health System (SUS) for the treatment of people with  rheumatoid arthritis . With the novelty, carriers of the disease will have access to all biological drugs for arthritis available on the market and registered with the National Health Agency (Anvisa).

The new drugs that are now offered in the SUS are: abatacept, certolizumab certolizumab, golimumab, tocilizumab and rituximab. The incorporation expands the offer of treatment for patients who do not respond to conventional medications or who are intolerant of other therapies. “The expectation is to expand access and guarantee more high-tech medicines for patients, improving the quality of treatment and reducing the complications of the disease. From the decision, we still expect a significant reduction in the Ministry’s expenses with these medicines”, says the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha.

Currently, SUS provides 10 drugs for the treatment of the disease, in 15 different presentations. Of these, three are biological (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab), which serve approximately 30,000 people. Medications decrease disease activity, prevent irreversible joint damage, relieve pain, and improve the patient’s quality of life.

The choice between the type of treatment should be based on the following criteria: patient characteristics, safety, dosage convenience, previous and concomitant treatments, as defined in the clinical protocol of the Ministry of Health. The protocol will be reviewed and updated based on these additions.

The Secretary for Science, Technology and Strategic Inputs, Carlos Gadelha, considers the measure a step forward in the technological health policy. “The Ministry of Health is taking the lead in incorporating high-impact products for citizens. We are putting technology at the service of SUS, generating treatment alternatives, reducing costs and expanding access”, says the secretary.

Currently, the Ministry of Health spends, on average, R 13 thousand per year. In 2011 alone, the Ministry of Health invested R$ 1 billion in the purchase of biological medicines for the disease. The SUS has a period of up to 180 days, from the publication of the ordinance, to effectively offer the medicines.

MEDICINES  – From 2010 to date, the number of medications offered by the SUS has grown by 47%, jumping from 550 to 810, according to items contained in the National List of Medications (Rename). The list is updated every two years and includes primary care drugs for rare and complex diseases, supplies and vaccines.

From last year until now, 11 drugs have already been approved for incorporation into the SUS. Three were evaluated by the new National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies (Conitec) in the first half of this year: boceprevir ( type C hepatitis ), telaprevir (type C hepatitis) and trastuzumab (oncological –  breast cancer ).

Jeanne Kenney
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I’m a stylist trainer, a content creator, and an entrepreneur passion. Virgo sign and Pisces ascendant, I move easily between my dreams, the crazy world I want, and my feet on the ground to carry out my projects.

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