Brazil: 94% want public investment in science

Almost all Brazilians argue that – Government investment in scientific and technological researchRefers to a survey conducted and reported by the Center for Administrative and Strategic Studies (CGEE). FASB Agency. 94% of people interviewed believe that the investment should increase or continue at the current level, while only 3% want it to decrease. at the same seekIt was found that 95% of the citizens interviewed were aware of the phenomenon of climate change and 60% saw it as a serious danger. Paradoxically, the number of interviewees who were able to name an important Brazilian scientist or scientific institution was small – and, more specifically, the smallest in Latin America. Those who said they were not interested in science tended to be of low income and education. “There are no anti-science people in Brazil. There are the excluded, those exiled from scientific citizenship,” assessed one UFMG scientist at the launch of the study.

Moderna wins patent battle against Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine

On Friday (5/17), Moderna defeated Pfizer in a legal battle over… Covid-19 vaccine patent. The dispute between the global North's pharmaceutical giants revolves around the following question: Does Moderna own intellectual property rights to the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology found in many coronavirus immunization kits? In the latest decision, the European Patent Office says yes, at least in Europe. Moderna claims that in order to manufacture the Comirnaty vaccine – widely used in Brazil – Pfizer copied its invention and should have paid for it. Returns From his side. However, Pfizer states that the European Patent Authority's statement “does not change our categorical and consistent position that this patent is invalid,” and that it will continue to “manufacture the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.” The tone of the statement suggests that the clash, which involves billions of dollars in profits from the two companies, is far from over.

Butantan chikungunya vaccine is more than 99% effective

Clinical trials conducted in Brazil indicate this Vaccine from Butantan Institute for Chikungunya It still generated an immune response in 99.1% of study participants six months after application. The numbers indicate that the single-dose vaccine, which was developed in partnership with the private European pharmaceutical company Valneva, is highly effective. In November last year, the product received approval from health authorities in the United States for use in the country. The following month, Butantan sent an application for authorization to the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) – which has since been conducting an analysis of the vaccine's effectiveness in cooperation with the European Medicines Agency. Under the terms of the technology transfer agreement with Valneva, and after receiving the green light from Anvisa, Butantan will be able to offer immunization to the Unified Health System (SUS), which will give new impetus to the fight against chikungunya in Brazil.

MS and scientists debate: how to fight arboviruses?

Last week, the Ministry of Health promoted A International Arbovirus WorkshopTo discuss with researchers the construction of a plan to combat these diseases in Brazil. “The vaccine is a tool that we believe in very much,” Minister Nicia Trindade stated at the event that among the technologies available, it was the most decisive. Other tools, such as health surveillance, vector control and social mobilization, were also discussed. In addition to dengue, Zika and chikungunha, the workshop Working with a scenario analysis of Oroboche fever – an arbovirus that has spread this year far beyond its endemic area, the Amazon. Recently, MS has warned that the disease has already been caused 5 thousand infections It spread across 13 states in the country in 2024. “We are closely monitoring and understanding this new virus better,” said Health Surveillance Minister Ethel Maciel. Brazil Agency.

Fiocruz: The pandemic has also killed people from high blood pressure and diabetes

Not only are Brazilians dying from Covid-19 during the pandemic – Diabetes deaths diabetic And high blood pressure It also grew beyond the normal rate for that period, as indicated by a study conducted by researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). To the article Mortality rates from diabetes and high blood pressure continue to rise after excluding deaths related to COVID-19 in Brazilpublished in the international journal PLOS Global Public Health, researchers analyzed SUS data indicating a steady increase in deaths from these chronic non-communicable diseases between 2020 and 2022. It was particularly pronounced among young people up to age 29, reaching 24% higher in 2020-2021 than it was. In 2020. The years before the pandemic. The study authors also point out that in the case of cardiovascular disease, this change in mortality also occurred globally, and not just in Brazil.

Anvisa wants to continue with the current regulatory framework for medical cannabis

While debating whether to maintain, change or extinguish Rules for medical use of marijuana In Brazil, Anvisa's Board of Directors approved a report calling for the continuation of the regulatory framework currently in place. The document “supports maintaining the current licensing strategy for these products in the country,” it concludes Brazil Agency. Any suggestion for changes in organization Hemp That will only come in the next step of analysis by managers, but progress in the report suggests that everything will continue as is. In this leaflet Other healththe reader can check out the analysis of the new Anvisa report prepared by me Paulo Flori Teixeiraa physician and specialist in cannabis medicine.