The Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology (Farmanguinhos) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) signed a partnership agreement to register ravidasvir, a new drug for the treatment of hepatitis C at the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), which today varies between R$ 6,200 and R$ 6, by Farmanguinhos. .5 thousand per patient.
The technical and scientific partnership was established with the non-governmental organization (NGO) Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and the Egyptian pharmaceutical company Pharco Pharmaceuticals. According to the director of Farmanguinhos, Jorge Mendonça, ravidasvir was 97% effective in curing hepatitis C, in tests carried out on populations in Thailand and Malaysia. Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the HCV virus that, when chronic, can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer.
Mendonça explained that after signing the agreement, the next step will be to submit the drug for approval at Anvisa, a process that should take between a year and a year and a half. He highlighted that the more treatment options are available in the SUS, the more possibilities doctors and patients will have to use first-line drugs, which can bring more comfort and more adherence to treatment.
In addition to sofosbuvir and ravidasvir, Farmanguinhos is also registered for the antiviral drug daclatasvir, which reinforces the Institute’s role as a supporter of the Economic Industrial Health Complex (Ceis) and promoter of national independence in the treatment of hepatitis C.
The director pointed out that the main objective of registering ravidasvir is to contribute to the budgetary sustainability of the program for the treatment of viral hepatitis by the SUS, which is very costly for the Ministry of Health. According to the Epidemiological Bulletin of Viral Hepatitis, released by the Ministry of Health in June 2022, 718,651 cases of viral hepatitis were confirmed in Brazil registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), in the period from 2000 to 2021. Of this total, 279,872 (38.9%) refer to cases of hepatitis C.
To face hepatitis C in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, which may have made the diagnosis and treatment of the disease more difficult, the director of Farmanguinhos defended carrying out mass tests, as part of a strategy of “active search” for patients. He explained that hepatitis C often has no symptoms in the first few years, which increases the risk of complications if not treated in time. “This is fundamental for the effectiveness of the treatment and for the health of the patient”, concluded Mendonça.
The Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology (Farmanguinhos) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) signed a partnership agreement to register ravidasvir, a new drug for the treatment of hepatitis C at the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), which today varies between R$ 6,200 and R$ 6, by Farmanguinhos. .5 thousand per patient.
The technical and scientific partnership was established with the non-governmental organization (NGO) Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and the Egyptian pharmaceutical company Pharco Pharmaceuticals. According to the director of Farmanguinhos, Jorge Mendonça, ravidasvir was 97% effective in curing hepatitis C, in tests carried out on populations in Thailand and Malaysia. Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the HCV virus that, when chronic, can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer.
Mendonça explained that after signing the agreement, the next step will be to submit the drug for approval at Anvisa, a process that should take between a year and a year and a half. He highlighted that the more treatment options are available in the SUS, the more possibilities doctors and patients will have to use first-line drugs, which can bring more comfort and more adherence to treatment.
In addition to sofosbuvir and ravidasvir, Farmanguinhos is also registered for the antiviral drug daclatasvir, which reinforces the Institute’s role as a supporter of the Economic Industrial Health Complex (Ceis) and promoter of national independence in the treatment of hepatitis C.
The director pointed out that the main objective of registering ravidasvir is to contribute to the budgetary sustainability of the program for the treatment of viral hepatitis by the SUS, which is very costly for the Ministry of Health. According to the Epidemiological Bulletin of Viral Hepatitis, released by the Ministry of Health in June 2022, 718,651 cases of viral hepatitis were confirmed in Brazil registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), in the period from 2000 to 2021. Of this total, 279,872 (38.9%) refer to cases of hepatitis C.
To face hepatitis C in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, which may have made the diagnosis and treatment of the disease more difficult, the director of Farmanguinhos defended carrying out mass tests, as part of a strategy of “active search” for patients. He explained that hepatitis C often has no symptoms in the first few years, which increases the risk of complications if not treated in time. “This is fundamental for the effectiveness of the treatment and for the health of the patient”, concluded Mendonça.
