Profile of judicialization in access to antineoplastic drugs and their costs: a cross-sectional, descriptive study based on a set of all lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2018 in a state in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The judicialization of the acquisition of medication for healthcare is not restricted to Brazil but can also be found in other Latin American countries, despite the existence of a universal health system in the case of Brazil, the Unified Health System (known as the SUS). Right-to-medicines litigation has existed ever since the emergence of a high demand for treatment of Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) but the current focus is on cancer. Pharmaceutical Assistance (PA) is the area within the SUS that is responsible for ensuring access to medication and the aim of this article is thus to draw up a profile of litigation related to PA in one economically significant state in the Northeast Region of Brazil, in terms of the following characteristics of lawsuits: the plaintiff filing the lawsuit; medical and health information; the cost of acquiring the requested medications; and the proportion accounted for by spending on antineoplastic drugs. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted of lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2018 at the Litigation Center of the State of Pernambuco Department of Health. RESULTS: A total of 2,947 lawsuits containing at least one requested medication were analyzed. The majority of the plaintiffs were male (51.7%); 49.8% of the requests originated in the Unified Health System (SUS), and plaintiffs were primarily patients in the Metropolitan region of the State capital, Recife. The most frequent cancers involved were those classified by the ICD as C61, C71 and C50. The median general expense on medications for the actions was U$1,734.94. Considering antineoplastic drugs alone, the cost exceeded U$7,500 per lawsuit over the three years, given that the median unit price for antineoplastic drugs is approximately US$65 compared to US$4 for non-antineoplastic drugs. CONCLUSION: The present study is of relevance to the field of public health and examines how a profile of such healthcare litigation can be used as a tool for managing and improving decision-making in times of economic austerity.

Judicialização do acesso aos serviços de saúde: análise de caso da Secretaria de Saúde de Pernambuco / Health's Judicialization: a case study of the Health Secretariat of Pernambuco / Judicialización de la Salud: análisis de caso de la Secretaría de Salud de Pernambuco

Objetivo: Este artigo objetivou analisar a judicialização do acesso aos serviços de saúde na Secretaria Estadual de Saúde de Pernambuco no ano de 2016. Métodos: Tratou-se de estudo transversal, quantitativo e analítico com dados do Núcleo de Ações Judiciais da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde de Pernambuco em 2016. As variáveis foram: o produto; o estabelecimento de atendimento; CID-10; municípios da comarca; município de residência; sexo; grupo do produto e condutor da ação. Resultados: Dos 2.560 processos, os medicamentos corresponderam a 63,5% das ações. 42% das demandas concentraram-se na 1ª Região de Saúde; 39,3% e 31,5% foram provenientes de unidades públicas de saúde e filantrópicas, respectivamente. Os dados corroboram com achados da literatura quanto ao item mais demandado judicialmente e à tendência de concentração em regiões metropolitanas. Difere quanto à natureza do órgão demandante por ter sido neste caso o próprio poder público e as unidades de saúde pública. Conclusões: Incorporar os objetos das demandas judiciais na oferta regular dos serviços de saúde pode contribuir para a redução de processos e aumentar o acesso dos cidadãos aos direitos legais. Em alguns casos, garantir o cumprimento das normas já editadas favorece a tendência de diminuição da judicialização, sendo necessário para esta análise os estudos longitudinais.

Objective: This article aimed to analyze the judicialization of access to health services in the State Department of Health of Pernambuco in the year 2016. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative and analytical study with data from the Judicial Actions Center of the State Health Secretariat of Pernambuco in 2016. The variables were: the product; the establishment of care; ICD-10; municipalities of the region; municipality of residence; sex; product group and action driver. Results: Of the 2,560 cases, the medications corresponded to 63.5% of the actions. 42% of the demands were concentrated in the 1st Health Region; 39.3% and 31.5% came from public health and philanthropic units, respectively. The data corroborate with findings from the literature regarding the item most sued in court and the trend of concentration in metropolitan regions. It differs as to the nature of the complainant organ because in this case it was the public authority itself and the public health units. Conclusions: Incorporating the objects of lawsuits into the regular provision of health services can contribute to the reduction of processes and increase citizens' access to legal rights. In some cases, ensuring compliance with the standards already published favors the tendency to decrease the judicialization, being necessary for this analysis the longitudinal studies.

Objetivo: Este artículo objetivó analizar la judicialización del acceso a los servicios de salud en la Secretaría Estatal de Salud de Pernambuco en el año 2016. Metodología: Se trató de estudio transversal, cuantitativo y analítico con datos del Núcleo de Acciones Judiciales de la Secretaría Estatal de Salud de Pernambuco en 2016. Las variables fueron: el producto; el establecimiento de atención; ICD-10; municipios de la comarca; municipio de residencia; el sexo; grupo del producto y conductor de la acción. Resultados: De los 2.560 procesos, los medicamentos correspondieron al 63,5% de las acciones. El 42% de las demandas se concentró en la 1ª Región de Salud; 39,3% y 31,5% provenían de unidades públicas de salud y filantrópicas, respectivamente. Discusión: Los datos corroboran con hallazgos de la literatura en cuanto al ítem más demandado judicialmente ya la tendencia de concentración en regiones metropolitanas. Difiere en cuanto a la naturaleza del órgano demandante por haber sido en este caso el propio poder público y las unidades de salud pública. Conclusiones: Incorporar los objetos de las demandas judiciales en la oferta regular de los servicios de salud puede contribuir a la reducción de procesos y aumentar el acceso de los ciudadanos a los derechos legales. En algunos casos, garantizar el cumplimiento de las normas ya editadas favorece la tendencia de disminución de la judicialización, siendo necesario para este análisis los estudios longitudinales.