Assistência Farmacêutica nos 30 anos do SUS na perspectiva da integralidade / Pharmaceutical Services and comprehensiveness 30 years after the advent of Brazil's Unified Health System

Resumo Os autores analisam a Assistência Farmacêutica (AF) e o acesso a medicamentos no Brasil na perspectiva do princípio da integralidade nos 30 anos do SUS. A partir da sua inclusão no movimento de reforma sanitária, foram selecionados temas relevantes, incluindo a reorientação da AF, a questão de recursos humanos, o conceito de medicamentos essenciais, o uso apropriado de medicamentos, o desenvolvimento tecnológico e a produção industrial e a regulação ética. Com fortes componentes regulatórios e tendo a política nacional de medicamentos como eixo estruturante, as três décadas do SUS são confrontadas entre avanços e retrocessos, considerando a complexidade nacional, as mudanças políticas, econômicas e sociais que impactaram políticas públicas e o acesso a medicamentos, tema que hoje mostra sua importância mesmo nas economias mais ricas do mundo, a partir de foros de discussão relacionados com Saúde Global. As conquistas ao longo do tempo são destacadas, considerando a preocupação decorrente do regime fiscal que compromete as áreas sociais.

Abstract This article examines pharmaceutical services and access to essential medicines in Brazil during the 30 years since the advent of Brazil's Unified Health System from a comprehensiveness perspective. The following topics are addressed: the "realignment" of pharmaceutical services; human resources in pharmaceutical services; the essential medicines concept; the rational use of medicines; technological advances and drug manufacturing; and ethical regulation. With a strong regulatory focus and a structural framework centered on the National Medicines Policy, the past three decades represent a mixture of progress and setbacks, considering the national complexities of the healthcare system and the political, economic and social changes that have influenced policy and access to medicines, which is a key concern even in the world's richest countries, as the forums of discussion on global health have demonstrated. We show that major steps forward have been taken, highlighting that the recent fiscal austerity measures imposed by the government threaten to seriously undermine social progress.

National policies for safety of medicines in the Asia Pacific region.

National medicines policies can aid the safe use of medicines by ensuring availability of quality products, appropriate information for prescribers and consumers, strengthening the national medicines regulatory capacity and improving access to expert advice and authoritative laboratory testing. We report the findings of a workshop on medicines safety, which focused on the Asia Pacific region. Participants noted that external support is needed for resource‑poor countries and that national medicines policies should include surveillance on problems with medicines, rather than the more limited monitoring of adverse drug reactions. The latter approach may be the only sensible option in countries in the Asia Pacific with very small populations.

Study on Performance Evaluation in Health Policy and WHO Evaluation Indicator System for National Drug Policy / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To provide references for the establishment of performance indicator system for evaluating National essential medicines system in China. METHODS:To analyze the theory and approach of policy evaluation and WHO indicators for evaluating national drug policies. A literature study on relevant information was conducted. RESULTS & CONCLUSION:China may refer to WHO framework for the evaluation index system,according to the target of various stages of essential drugs system,in the implementation of our system of essential medicines on the basis of a full investigation,combined with our medical and health background and status,build essential drugs system of performance appraisal system and performance indicators.