Congress’s position on 5-day vaccince approval is “criminal” – former ANVISA president

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Public health physician Gonzalo Vecina, ex-president of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) today classified Congress’s position as “criminal” and “disastrous”, referring to the approval of a Provisional Measure (MP) ordering the agency to authorize the use of vaccines approved in other countries within five days.

Asked about the issue, Vecina said he expects the measure to be revoked. Yesterday, Antônio Barra Torres, the current ANVISA president, met with President Jair Bolsonaro to ask for the point to be vetoed.

“It is disastrous. The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency is strictly complying with its commitments to Brazilian society. This attack, led by the Centrão voting bloc and ex-Minister of Health, engineer Ricardo Barros, is very imprudent, unnecessary, and criminal,” he said, referring to the government leader in the Chamber, who declared that the agency needed to be “reorganized” because of its speed in approving vaccines.

According to Vecina, the measure may have consequences on the Agency’s global positioning. “All of a sudden we will approve a vaccine from a country that hasn’t done phase 3 (trials) (…) There is no analysis at all. This would mean offering Brazilians a product that has not undergone Phase 3 trials and, therefore, the safety and efficacy of these vaccines have not been proven. Is this what the population wants?” he asked.

Bolsonaro signals veto

Barra Torres said yesterday that Bolsonaro was favorable to the request to veto the provisional measure. According to him, “there would undoubtedly be health risks for the population,” should the provisional measure not be partially or fully vetoed by the President.

After the meeting, Barra Torres declared that the President “reiterated once again what he has always been saying to the press”: the Ministry of Health will only acquire and incorporate into the National Immunization Program vaccines which have been analyzed and approved by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency.

Torres accused Congress of politically interfering in the agency. He claims that this is not an “attempt”, but a “tangible action”. “Congress is interfering with a place that prioritizes science,” he said.