Advanced Therapy Products in Brazil: Regulatory Aspects.

Advanced therapy products, considered special medications, require Anvisa approval for use and commercialization in Brazil. They include advanced cellular therapy products, tissue engineering products, and gene therapy products, which due to their complexity involve innovation and risks, optimized regulatory channels for their development and life cycle monitoring. The scientific elements and the compliance with applicable regulatory aspects are fundamental pillars for the advancement of clinical trials, the positive evidence of the benefit-risk profile, and the definition of the critical quality attributes, from the perspective of making safe, efficacy, and high-quality products available to the population. The approval models of these products in Brazil adapt to the specificities and characteristics of the technology and the patient target population, with accelerated regulatory analyses, use in emergency situations by risk controls and specific monitoring mechanisms, principally those related to rare diseases without other therapeutic alternatives. The opportune access to the advance therapy product with safety, efficacy, and quality involves innovative normative elements that include the long-term follow-up of the safety and efficacy and of the adaptive pharmacovigilance requisites, as well as the traceability mechanisms for starting materials, products, and patients.

[Control of potential risk in blood establishments in Brazil: a strategy for regulating authorities]. / Controle de riscos potenciais em serviços de hemoterapia no Brasil: uma abordagem para autoridades reguladoras.

Objective To describe the sanitary status of Brazilian blood establishments (BE) assessed by the national health surveillance system in 2013. Method In the present descriptive study, the sanitary profile of BE was assessed using the Blood Establishment Potential Risk Assessment Method (Método de Avaliação de Risco Potencial de Serviços de Hemoterapia, MARPSH), developed by the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). The MARPSH involves the evaluation of 471 structure and process items to produce an assessment of potential risk associated with critical control points in the blood cycle (vein-to-vein). Based on this assessment, BE are classified into five risk categories: low, medium-low, medium, medium-high, and high. The results were analyzed regarding the type of service (considering all levels, from coordinating centers to collection units), type of financing (public/private) and geographic region. Results Of the existing BE, 1 212 (60%) were assessed in 2013. Of these, 81% met ≥ 70% of the sanitary requirements (satisfactory status, corresponding to medium, medium-low, and low risk categories). Transfusion agencies (hospital units with the role of storing, running compatibility tests between donors and recipients, and transfusing blood components) and public establishments had the highest number of non-conformity structure and process items. Conclusion The use of the MARPSH facilitated the assessment of BE in Brazil and revealed objective opportunities for improvement. These gaps should be addressed by regulating authorities, especially in public services.

Controle de riscos potenciais em serviços de hemoterapia no Brasil: uma abordagem para autoridades reguladoras / Control of potential risk in blood establishments in Brazil: a strategy for regulating authorities

RESUMO Objetivo Descrever a situação sanitária dos serviços de hemoterapia (SH) brasileiros avaliados pelo sistema nacional de vigilância sanitária em 2013. Método Neste estudo descritivo, o perfil sanitário dos SH foi avaliado utilizando-se o Método de Avaliação de Risco Potencial de Serviços de Hemoterapia (MARPSH) desenvolvido pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa). O MARPSH se fundamenta na mensuração do risco potencial associado a pontos críticos de controle do ciclo do sangue e envolve a avaliação de 471 itens de estrutura e processo. A partir dessa avaliação, os SH são classificados em cinco categorias de risco: baixo, médio-baixo, médio, médio-alto e alto. Os resultados foram analisados quanto ao tipo de serviço (considerando desde hemocentros coordenadores até unidades de coleta), tipo de financiamento (público/privado) e macrorregião brasileira. Resultados Foram avaliados 1 212 estabelecimentos, o que correspondeu a 60% do universo de estabelecimentos do Brasil. Entre os avaliados, 81% estavam em situação satisfatória (grau de atendimento aos requisitos sanitários igual ou superior a 70%, o que corresponde às categorias de médio, médio-baixo e baixo risco). O número de itens sem conformidade de estrutura e processo foi maior na região Norte, nas agências transfusionais (localizadas em hospitais, com função de armazenar, realizar testes de compatibilidade entre doador e receptor e transfundir os hemocomponentes) e nos serviços públicos. Conclusão O uso do MARPSH facilitou a avaliação dos SH no Brasil e revelou oportunidades objetivas de melhoria que devem ser atendidas pelas autoridades reguladoras, especialmente nos serviços públicos.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the sanitary status of Brazilian blood establishments (BE) assessed by the national health surveillance system in 2013. Method In the present descriptive study, the sanitary profile of BE was assessed using the Blood Establishment Potential Risk Assessment Method (Método de Avaliação de Risco Potencial de Serviços de Hemoterapia, MARPSH), developed by the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). The MARPSH involves the evaluation of 471 structure and process items to produce an assessment of potential risk associated with critical control points in the blood cycle (vein-to-vein). Based on this assessment, BE are classified into five risk categories: low, medium-low, medium, medium-high, and high. The results were analyzed regarding the type of service (considering all levels, from coordinating centers to collection units), type of financing (public/private) and geographic region. Results Of the existing BE, 1 212 (60%) were assessed in 2013. Of these, 81% met ≥ 70% of the sanitary requirements (satisfactory status, corresponding to medium, medium-low, and low risk categories). Transfusion agencies (hospital units with the role of storing, running compatibility tests between donors and recipients, and transfusing blood components) and public establishments had the highest number of non-conformity structure and process items. Conclusion The use of the MARPSH facilitated the assessment of BE in Brazil and revealed objective opportunities for improvement. These gaps should be addressed by regulating authorities, especially in public services.