In 10 years, the evolution of generic drugs in Brazil is three times higher than the one of other medicines being sold. That evidence was presented on Tuesday (28) at the Chamber, by the president of the Brazilian Association of Industries of Generic Medicines (Pro-Generic), Odnir Finotti.

During a public hearing of the Committee on Social Security and Family, both the representative of Pro-Generic and the technology manager of National Sanitation Agency (Anvisa), Tatiana Lowande, positively evaluated the 10 years since the implementation of the policy on generic medicines in Brazil.

"That positive rate is due to the confidence the population has in those products. Moreover, the criteria for their production are rigorous and require high investments”, affirmed Finotti.

Price reduction
For the technology manager of Anvisa, the main advantage of the adoption of generic drugs has been the average reduction of 35% in the prices, if compared to reference medicines. She informed that more than 2,000 registered generic drugs are sold in Brazil, which represented, in 2008, 17% of the medicines’ industry.

The president of Pro-Generic stressed the fact that, in some European countries, generics represent 85% of traded medicines. For him, the 17% occupied by generics in the Brazilian market “reveal the long way still to be crossed” for Brazil to reach that international standard.

For Odnir Finotti, the greatest challenge to Brazilian producers is the patent’s terms. According to the Patent Law (Law 9279/96), patents expire in 20 years, but the brands’ owners obtain legal injunctions which extend that period, with arguments based on foreign laws.

Realization of physicians
The president of the Committee on Social Security, Deputy Elcione Barbalho (PMDB-PA), criticized the fact that many doctors do not prescribe generic medicines.

A Study by the Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa de do Consumidor (Brazilian Consumer’s Defense Institute, Idec), presented at the hearing by Deputy Rita Camata (PMDB/ES), reveals that 77% of the physicians do not discriminate the active principle of the prescribed medicine in their prescriptions.

Tatiana Lowande, of Anvisa, said that that agency has been developing works targeting the information of professionals, aiming at instructing the medical industry to offer that option to the consumer, “since it is the physician who can give that instruction. Most of the times, the pharmacist can recommend that alternative, but therefore he needs the authorization in the doctor’s prescription”.

Report - Idhelene Macedo/Rádio Câmara
Editing - Newton Araújo
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda