Dr. Antonio Barra Torres, President of Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), attended a meeting in the Congregation Room of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), on September 20, 2022. Accompanied by the Deputy Director, Juvenal de Souza Brasil Neto, the two represented the agency alongside the medical and scientific community gathered on the site.

Leading the meeting was Prof. Tarcisio Eloy Pessoa de Barros Filho, FMUSP Director, along with Prof. Eloisa Silva Dutra de Oliveira Bonfá, Clinical Director of Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP (HCFMUSP), Eng. Antonio José Pereira, Superintendent of HCFMUSP, and Dr. Arnaldo Hossepian Junior, President of the Faculdade de Medicina Foundation (FFM).

“I’m absolutely convinced that we’ll return to Brasília better than when we arrived,” said Dr. Antonio Barra Torres at the beginning of his speech, referring to an earlier visit to the Central Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas of FMUSP and to the Faculdade de Medicina. In a presentation aimed at clarifying and detailing Anvisa's performance, the agency's President explained its regulatory and surveillance role, as well as its technical and administrative structure and the rigorous work carried out to make sure the country enjoys credibility among other agencies and international bodies.

Highlighting the agency's participation in the regulation of products that add up to about 23% of Brazilian GDP, Dr. Barra Torres emphasized the need to expand Anvisa's staff through public tenders. According to him, the measure is essential to deal with the growing demand for services, eventual large-scale crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and to serve the medical and scientific community, namely in the release of research supplies and clinic and drug approval. “The National Health Surveillance Agency is the State's police power for health matters and this power cannot be passed on”, he said.

Afterwards, professors and researchers from FMUSP contributed to the dialogue by bringing their perspectives on recurring issues such as the release of certain pesticides, the application of labels on ultra-processed foods and the possibility of improving coordination between Anvisa and the National Research Ethics Commission (Conep) in their respective functions. The willingness of the Faculdade de Medicina and Anvisa in their internationalization commitments, as well as the strengthening of the relationship between the agency and the scientific community were also put into focus.

Finally, Prof. Eloisa Bonfá recalled the 11,000 patients, many in serious condition, that Hospital das Clínicas received during the pandemic, as well as the relief that the rapid approval of the vaccine brought to health professionals. Prof. Tarcisio de Barros echoed the same sentiment, commenting on how FMUSP and HC felt "Anvisa’s performance very closely" in that period and concluded by saying that the two health institutions are open to deepen the dialogue established during the meeting.