ANVISA: an introduction to a new regulatory agency with many challenges

Abstract

Brazil, the largest country in South America, has become the second largest pharmaceutical market in the emerging world. The Brazillian Health Surveillance Agency (Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria - ANVISA) was created in 1999 with the primary goal to protect and promote public health surveillance over products and services in Brazil. The governing body and structure of this new regulatory agency will be the aims of this paper, where the authors hope to share their understanding on the regulatory processes and its significant importance of this agency.