Technology mapping: Leukemia Treatment

Abstract

The increase in the incidence of various cancers has been one of the biggest challenges in the global public health for decades. Leukemia is a type of cancer that only in 2008 has affected 351,000 people of the world population. In Brazil, the full treatment is offered by the SHS (Sistema Único De Saúde, in Portuguese) by Cancer Network, and due to the high cost of therapy, it is urgent to carry out studies that support public policies on access to medicines. The technology mapping has emerged as satisfactory source of information able to direct the decisions of policymakers. This study aims at mapping of new technologies for the treatment of leukemia. They will be held a survey in specialized databases in order to map out new technologies in several stages of clinical trials, and identify the feasibility of absorption of such technologies by public laboratories through the crossing of information with data available in patent documents bases. Initially, we identified 1,348 clinical trials involving 770 interventions with drugs, with 113 products launched and 56 drugs in phase I, II and III, which will have their cross data to the information available in patent databases. Technological mapping studies provide key information about what are the advantages and risks of adopting certain technology. The information technology should at least be the basis for the planning of public access to medicines policies, especially when they are expensive.