The Ministry of Health will make an emergency purchase of antidotes for methanol poisoning, to be used by states and municipalities in the treatment of victims who consumed adulterated alcoholic beverages.
The government intends to acquire 150,000 vials of pharmaceutical ethanol, in addition to the possibility of purchasing fomepizole from producers and international agencies. The announcement was made by Health Minister Alexandre Padilha on social media.
“We have decided on the emergency purchase of 150,000 vials of pharmaceutical ethanol to bolster states and municipalities in treating the victims. [National Health Surveillance Agency] Anvisa has also contacted producers and international agencies for the acquisition of fomepizole, another antidote used in poisonings,” he wrote.
On Thursday (Oct. 2), Padilha detailed efforts to combat this type of poisoning during a meeting of the situation room, created by the government to monitor and coordinate initiatives amid suspected cases and contamination.
“The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Brazilian Hospital Services Company, has set up a strategic stock in federal university hospitals and [Unified Health System] SUS services with 4,300 vials of pharmaceutical ethanol. In addition, an emergency purchase of another 5,000 treatments (150,000 vials) is underway, ensuring the replenishment and distribution of the product according to the needs of states and municipalities,” the ministry reported.
Public Call
Anvisa has launched a public call to identify “international suppliers of fomepizole, a medication for methanol poisoning, currently unavailable in Brazil.”
The initiative aims to mobilize the world’s 10 largest regulatory agencies to indicate fomepizole producers in their countries.
The government has also made an official request to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the immediate donation of 100 fomepizole treatments.
Source: Agência Brasil