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Global Health Econ Sustain                                               Fast-track drug approvals in Brazil



            minimal risk to the population (Martin & Shenfield, 2016;   and efficacy. Through this innovative approach, Health
            Mayer-Hamblett & VanDevanter, 2020).               Canada ensures that Canadians have access to potentially
              The accelerated registration of drugs is a procedural   life-saving treatments while steadfastly upholding the
            mechanism  enabling  the  expeditious  assessment  and   primacy of patient safety and well-being (Canada, 2002).
            endorsement of pharmaceuticals deemed safe and       Anvisa is entrusted with the responsibility of regulating
            efficacious in the treatment of severe or life-threatening   the production, distribution, and utilization of health-
            conditions. This process facilitates swifter patient access   care products in Brazil. This encompassing role entails the
            to novel compounds with potential life-saving attributes.   registration of pharmaceuticals and various other consumer
            To qualify for accelerated registration, a drug must fulfill   products, among others. Anvisa’s drug registration process
            specific criteria, including the demonstration of efficacy,   typically entails the submission of a registration request
            safety, or the ability to address an unmet medical necessity.   by the drug manufacturer, accompanied by substantiating
            The precise set of criteria for accelerated registration may   data regarding safety and efficacy. Anvisa critically assesses
            vary contingent on the regulatory agency accountable for   the  request  and  determines  whether  the  drug  satisfies
            evaluating and approving the drug (Gammie et al., 2015;   the registration criteria. If it does, Anvisa proceeds with
            Mayer-Hamblett & VanDevanter, 2020).               a comprehensive review of the data and information
                                                               provided by the manufacturer. On completion of the
              In the United States, the FDA employs four modalities
            for expediting the registration process of drugs. These   process, Anvisa grants approval for the drug to enter the
                                                               Brazilian market. Furthermore, additional overarching
            modalities include Priority Review, Breakthrough   criteria for drug approval may include an evaluation of its
            Therapy, Accelerated Approval, and Fast Track. Under the   potential impact on public health and the availability of
            Priority Review modality, the FDA adheres to a 6-month
            timeframe, which is significantly shorter than the standard   alternative treatments for the same condition (ANVISA,
            review period of 10 months (Commissioner, 2018).   2022b).
                                                                 In  2016,  the  regulatory  decision  (Law  No.  13.411)
              The European Medicines Agency (EMA) serves as the
            regulatory authority accountable for the assessment and   served as a pivotal moment for expediting the registration
                                                               process of new drugs based on their priority status. The
            authorization of pharmaceuticals within the European   process could proceed through either the regular track or
            Union. The EMA incorporates the Committee for Medicinal   the priority track, depending on the criteria of technical
            Products  for  Human  Use  (CHMP)  and  introduces  two   complexity, as well as the clinical, economic, and social
            methodologies to expedite patient accessibility to novel   benefits associated with the drug. The timeframe for
            therapies: Accelerated assessment and conditional   assessing priority drugs was set at 180 days. This category
            marketing authorization (EMA, 2018).
                                                               includes, for example, drugs for rare diseases. Conversely,
              In 2016, the Australian government made an       drugs deemed non-priority must receive approval within
            announcement regarding the establishment of two new   365 days (Brasil, 2016).
            pathways by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for   In 2017, the introduction of a new legislation, RDC 204,
            the expedited approval of therapeutic advancements with   prioritized petitions for registration, post-registration, and
            potential life-saving capabilities. These pathways include   prior consent in clinical research on medications based on
            the priority review pathway and the provisional approval   public relevance. The aim was to ensure and expand access
            pathway (Bootes et al., 2019; Nash, 2016).
                                                               to pharmaceutical assistance. Furthermore, RDC 205, also
              Health Canada, the regulatory authority for drug   published  in 2017,  established a specialized procedure
            registration in Canada, possesses a Priority Review process   for obtaining clinical trial consent, certification of good
            that bestows accelerated status on new drug submissions.   manufacturing practices,  and registration of  new drugs
            This expeditious review system assigns eligible requests   intended for the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of
            a target review timeline of 180 days, significantly shorter   rare diseases. Its objective was to expedite the registration
            than the standard 300-day review period designated for   process for drugs targeting rare diseases and to support
            non-priority submissions.  Furthermore, Health  Canada   actions  for  streamlining  bureaucracy,  enhancing  public
            has implemented the Notice of Compliance with conditions   administration efficiency, and increasing manufacturers’
            pathway, which facilitates the conditional approval of   accountability. This ordinance maintains the requirements
            drugs based on limited evidence. This pathway allows for   for demonstrating quality, safety, and efficacy. However,
            the timely availability of certain medications exhibiting   it allows for the acceptance of safety and efficacy reports
            promising therapeutic benefits, albeit necessitating further   when accompanied by completed Phase II studies and
            data collection and evaluation to substantiate their safety   ongoing Phase III studies. Alternatively, in cases where


            Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023)                         3                        https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.0995
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