Brasília – A public hearing held by the Senate Committee on Social Affairs (CAS) reinforced the need for Brazil to accelerate the incorporation of innovative medical technologies into its public health system. The discussion, proposed by Senator Mara Gabrilli (PSD-SP), brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), the Chamber for Drug Market Regulation (CMED) and executives from the pharmaceutical industry.

Speakers emphasized that the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) must adopt a more agile and evidence-based process to evaluate and incorporate new medicines, medical devices and digital health tools. Representatives of the pharmaceutical sector defended predictable regulation and coordinated planning to avoid delays in technology access and to attract clinical research and biotechnological investment to Brazil.

Industry participants also called attention to the need for clearer guidelines on Managed Entry Agreements (MEAs), pricing rules and intellectual property protections. They highlighted that long approval timelines and fragmented institutional coordination slow innovation and discourage companies from prioritizing Brazil in their global development strategies.

According to Senator Gabrilli, strengthening Brazil’s health technology ecosystem depends on closer collaboration between government, academia and industry — ensuring that innovation serves both the sustainability of the SUS and the competitiveness of the Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde (CEIS). The debate concluded with a call for a national strategy to align industrial policy, scientific research and regulatory modernization to foster faster and fairer access to health innovations.

Source: Agência Senado

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