Access to Oral Chemotherapy Treatments in the Brazilian Private Healthcare System

oral Abstract Neoplasms represents an important cause of mortality. One of the forms of treatment of this disease is chemotherapy, which can be administered orally, or intravenously, for example. Both in the Brazilian public health system and in the private system, there are different ways to ensure patient access to chemotherapy drugs that have been approved for commercialization. However, many improvements can be proposed in the processes that involve these forms of access to medicines. In the Brazilian private health system, there is a divergence in access between oral and intravenous chemotherapy that harms patients and the sustainability of the system. The discussions and actions related to this theme appear as a way to provoke reflections on the sustainability of the healthcare system and the patient’s quality of life, suggesting urgent changes in outdated structures.

carried out by ANS (Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar), which, in Brazil, is the agency responsible for regulating the private healthcare system. This assessment is carried out at least every two years and decides whether a medication must be provided, or not, to those who pay for healthcare plans [7,8].
Oral chemotherapy has the same quality, safety and efficacy as intravenous therapy and can provide more comfort to the patient, mainly due to the administration convenience, that avoids hospitalizations for venous access and allows that patient stay safe and comfortable at home [2,9].
In an attempt to correct the difference between forms of access to oral and intravenous chemotherapy, the Brazilian Federal Senate approved, on June 3, 2020, the proposed law no. 6330, 2019. This proposal aims to facilitate patients' access to oral chemotherapy, so that, after approval by Anvisa, these drugs can be automatically offered by healthcare plans, just as it is already done for intravenous chemotherapy drugs [10].
The proposed law is strongly based on the benefits that this correction could provide to patients, who need to wait for the long time of analysis of ANS to have the benefits of access to new oral chemotherapy treatments, which are often approved by drug regulatory agencies in the Brazilian market [8]. The correction also proposes to benefit the health system itself, since there would be a reduction in spending on hospitalizations, freeing resources from healthcare plans to treat patients with other diseases, in addition to reducing the occurrence of lawsuits related to access to medicines [11]. In this context, the incorporation and expansion of access to oral chemotherapies is, therefore, a strategic alternative for the care of cancer patients and a possible improvement in the sustainability of the system.
On the other hand, there are very important challenges to be considered, such as adhering to the treatment of oral therapy. As the treatment must be carried out continuously and appropriately by the patient at home, special monitoring by a multidisciplinary team is necessary, with guidance on the correct use and recognition of adverse reactions, in addition to encouraging patient coresponsibility and autonomy [12].
Thus, it is also essential to reinforce the concept and practice of "Pharmaceutical Assistance", which consists of a set of actions for the promotion, protection and recovery of individual and collective health, with medicines as an essential element aiming to guarantee access to and rational use [13]. In addition, proposals such as those presented by proposed law no. 6330, 2019, may suggest an immediate solution, if they are not planned and executed properly and may provoke an opposite effect to the proposed objective, putting at risk the sustainability of the system and the collective benefit.
In this context, it is essential that incorporations are based on studies of economic evaluation and budget impact, as well as on proven scientific evidence, which ensure collective gains and relevant clinical results for patients [14]. All discussions related to the incorporation process of new drugs in the private healthcare system are essential to provoke changes in outdated structures, especially regarding the criteria and evaluation deadlines.

Conflicts of Interest
No conflict of interest relevant to this manuscript.