Source: Agência Brasil - 13/06/2012

Marcos Chagas - Reporter for Agência Brasil

Today (13) the Senate overcame the first stage of creating a national policy to combat piracy of products submitted to Health Surveillance. The main focus is to integrate the various governmental actions to combat product piracy that must pass the screening of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). A bill in this sense, authored by Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE), was approved on a terminative basis by the Social Affairs Commission (CAS). Now, the matter will be analyzed by the Chamber of Deputies.

According to a survey by the World Health Organization (WHO), cited by the Brazilian Institute for Competitive Ethics (Etco), in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa it is estimated that 30% of the products sold on the market and used by the population have fraudulent origin. Anvisa, in turn, estimates this percentage at 20% in Brazil.

The data were presented by the rapporteur Vanessa Grazziotin (PCdoB-AM). She recalled that WHO estimates the percentage of counterfeit or adulterated drugs sold in developing countries like Brazil, Turkey, Russia and India at 25%.

The rapporteur cited, for example, the piracy of cosmetics, which has peculiar characteristics. “Illegal production occurs within the country's borders, in backyard factories or in small laboratories”. She added that production is closer to the places of consumption, which makes it difficult to intercept products. The senator cited that the complaints recently made about the use of formaldehyde (formaldehyde) in hair creams have brought to light some of the reality of the manufacture and illegal use of cosmetics in Brazil.