Innovations in vascular and endovascular surgery in Brazil: a data analysis study

Abstract

Background: Innovations in vascular and endovascular surgery have important social and economic repercussions. Most endovascular devices used in Brazil are imported and, therefore, particularly expensive. Objective: To conduct a retrospective analysis of patent and regulatory approval data for newly developed vascular and endovascular devices, based on the number of patents registered at the Brazilian National Industrial Property Institute (INPI) and the number of products approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) over recent years. Methods: This retrospective study involved electronic searches of the INPI (www.inpi.gov.br) and ANVISA websites (www.anvisa.gov.br), for patents registered and products approved between January 1997 and December 2012. Results: The keywords used for the search ("catheter(s), " "stent(s), " "graft(s), " and "wound dressing(s)") returned a total of 701 new patents registered during the period studied. Thirty-four percent (n=237) of these were patents for wound dressings, while the remaining 66% (n=464) were for devices used in endovascular surgery. Only 7.8% (n=268) of the 3433 products approved by ANVISA during the period analyzed were produced in Brazil. Conclusions: The social and economic importance of innovations in health care highlights the need to monitor them, to register them and to support their production, in view of the need to develop local alternatives to imported health care technology.