Brazil has risk of insulin blackout from May – 03/30/2023 – Health

The TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) warns that there may be a lack of insulin for diabetes in the states because the stock of the Ministry of Health will run out in April. The information is part of the process voted by the body this Wednesday (29), on the report of Minister Vital do Rêgo.

There is a risk of a shortage because there were no bids in the auctions opened in August of last year and in January of this year. Thus, data from the Ministry of Health forwarded to the court of accounts point to the existence of a stock of analogue fast-acting insulin only until next month.

The Ministry of Health told TCU that, given the failure of the bids carried out during the Bolsonaro government, it opted to carry out the emergency direct purchase of the product, in January of this year, to prevent shortages. The public call appears in the Official Gazette of March 8th.

The acquisition by waiver of bidding aims to obtain 1.3 million 3 ml insulin tubes to serve the SUS (Unified Health System) for about 180 days.

Another measure adopted by the folder was the request for a preliminary quote from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in February this year, regarding the possibility of supplying 1.3 million tubes of 3 ml of insulin, with the first with delivery scheduled for March 30th and the second for September 30th.

“We are approaching a picture of insufficiency of medicines for this very serious disease and that, from what Minister Vital was able to extract, from our diligences, this stock will only last until the month of May”, said the president of the court, Minister Bruno Dantas, although data from the Ministry of Health indicate the risk of shortages as of May.

The case’s rapporteur, Minister Vital do Rêgo, said he was very concerned about the situation because, as a doctor, he knows the daily needs that the patient has with these doses.

“There were 2 auction failures and the direct purchase process will bring supplies until May. The Minister of Health (Nísia Trindade) was in my office today (Wednesday) and said that she is already at work to receive these medicines from countries from Asia that have Anvisa certification from there”, he declared.

The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, told the Sheet who works to not run out of medication. “We are going to do what is possible based on the TCU notes”, she said.

The folder undertook, according to the TCU, to inform the states, municipalities and associations about the situation in progress and also to analyze the possibility of carrying out a prior agreement and pact between the spheres of SUS management, with a view to enabling the reimbursement of analogue insulins that may be acquired by the states and the Federal District.

This Thursday (30), the ministry discussed with Conass (National Council of Health Secretaries) the adoption of a strategy to identify possible local stocks of insulin analogues, in an attempt to adjust the distribution of the ministry’s remaining stock to local availability and possible contribution for on-demand supply across states.

This type of insulin was incorporated into the SUS in 2017 after approval by Conitec (National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Unified Health System).

Societies and medical entities and representatives of people with diabetes do not recommend replacing analogue insulin, which runs the risk of running out, with regular human insulin, which can increase the risk of severe and nocturnal hypoglycemia, for example.

according to Sheet published on the 20th, the Ministry of Health discarded 999,700 quick-acting insulin pens during the Bolsonaro administration (PL).

Valued at almost BRL 15 million, the products used for diabetes expired from September 2020 to June 2021. The lots were part of a purchase of 4 million tubes, made in 2018.

Medical and patient associations even warned the ministry, before the expiration date, that there was excessive bureaucracy to gain access to the product.

Vital do Rêgo added that he will permanently monitor the issue and that he was careful, in his vote, to bring data so that there would not be a rush in pharmacies for these medicines, in addition to the possibility of increasing prices, due to supply and demand.