Mapeamento de processo regulatório para aprovação de vacinas novas provenientes de desenvolvimento nacional

The availability of medicines to the population necessarily goes through a long regulatory path, where several steps must be fulfilled. In this scenario, ANVISA is the national regulatory agency responsible for establishing the regulations that companies, producers and developers must follow. The objective of this work is to map the different regulatory processes involved in the approval of a vaccine, a type of biological medicine, developed by companies or national research institutions. Therefore, there is a focus on local regulations that involves the regulatory approval of a vaccine. The steps from the initial stages of development of a vaccine are accompanied by processes that are guided by regulatory requirements, often complex and with different directions. Until final release to the public, the rules governing this release involve several approvals that must be strictly followed by developers. Thus, the scope of this work is to delineate the regulatory processes from the initial stages of development of a vaccine, through the distinct phases of clinical trials, to its final approval for distribution to the general public, contributing to a global comprehension by researchers of the regulatory process as a whole.

A disponibilização de medicamentos à população passa necessariamente por um longo caminho regulatório, onde várias etapas devem ser cumpridas. Neste cenário, a ANVISA é o órgão responsável pelo estabelecimento da regulamentação que as empresas, produtores e desenvolvedores devem seguir. O objetivo deste trabalho é mapear os diversos processos regulatórios envolvidos na aprovação de uma vacina, que é um tipo de medicamento biológico, desenvolvido por empresas ou instituições de pesquisa nacionais. Desta forma, foca-se na regulamentação local que envolve a aprovação regulatória de um produto biológico. Os passos desde as etapas iniciais de desenvolvimento de uma vacina são acompanhados de processos que são norteados por requisitos regulatórios, muitas vezes complexos e envolvendo diferentes direcionamentos. Até a disponibilização final ao público, as normativas que determinam essa liberação envolvem diversas aprovações que devem ser rigorosamente seguidas pelos desenvolvedores. Desta forma, o escopo deste trabalho é delinear os processos regulatórios desde as fases iniciais de desenvolvimento de uma vacina, passando pelas diferentes fases de ensaios clínicos, até a sua aprovação final para a disponibilização à população, contribuindo para fornecer uma compreensão global aos pesquisadores do processo regulatório como um todo.

Developing an international industrial advanced pharmacy practice experience in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: In this commentary, we advocate for implementing international industry-focused advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) that engage pharmacy students and schools with the pharmaceutical industry to develop products for the global market to broaden pharmacy student experiences in non-patient care electives. COMMENTARY: Our five-year experience suggests the following structural components are essential to the success of the APPE: (1) identification of suitable international industry partners through non-traditional methods, such as the local, United States (US) chamber of commerce; (2) commitment by the company and educational institutions to develop key personnel to work with international students in the host country; (3) development of a global regulatory affairs course and workshops that target the product development stage; (4) development of student experiences based on projects directly linked to a new product(s); (5) use of technology platforms to support weekly video conferencing and translation; (6) engagement of students in community service; (7) cooperative evaluation of students and the program. The aggregate of student projects led to the development of a line of dietary supplement products introduced to the US market. IMPLICATIONS: The implementation of this APPE benefits pharmacy students but also the academic and industry hosts. Pharmacy students obtained global manufacturing experience, an appreciation for a different culture, and supported commercial product development. The educational institutions developed joint courses and workshops. Students were embedded into various departments, carried out Food & Drug Administration regulations research, prepared comparative regulatory process maps, and provided company employees with an understanding of American consumers.

The Brazilian market of herbal medicinal products and the impacts of the new legislation on traditional medicines.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: the herbal medicinal products (HMP) market is expanding in the world, an expansion that has not occurred in Brazil when considering the number of licensed products. Despite being a megadiverse country, the number of HMP licensed in Brazil is small, and the number of HMP obtained from native species is even smaller. A new legislation for herbal products licensing, which divides the products into two categories, Herbal Medicine (HM) and Traditional Herbal Product (THP) was launched in Brazil focusing on traditional use, as well as a law regulating the use of biodiversity and traditional knowledge. AIM OF THE STUDY: to evaluate the situation of HMP licensed in Brazil and to make a comparison with the data obtained in 2008 and 2011, discussing the evolution of the licensed products and the possible impacts of the new legislation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: a survey was carried out in the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) database to verify the HMP licensed in Brazil in September 2016. The data obtained were compared with two surveys previously published. RESULTS: There are 332 single, and 27 combined HM, totaling 359 HM licensed in Brazil. There is no THP notified in Anvisa's system yet. There are 214 HM classified as nonprescription (OTC), while 145 are sold under prescription, one of them with prescription retention. There are 101 plant species licensed as active in HM in Brazil, 39 of which are native, adapted or cultivated. The most licensed plant species is Mikania glomerata Spreng., with 25 HM licensed. The article includes tables with plant species that have derivatives licensed as simple and combined HM, their therapeutic classification, the native plant species indication and the distribution of the companies by Brazilian regions. CONCLUSIONS: There are few licensed HM in Brazil, and this number has been decreasing in recent years. It is expected that the data obtained, together with the changes promoted in sanitary and environmental rules, will help to develop and regulate HMP chain in Brazil.