Acquisition of medicines: challenges of using the Materials Catalog (CATMAT) in public purchases

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the registration of items in the Catalog of Materials (CATMAT) class “6505 – Drugs” from the perspective of a Federal Institute of Infectious Diseases in Rio de Janeiro, and to discuss the challenges associated with its application in medicine procurement within Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Methods: This descriptive study used documentary research as its methodological approach. The general list of CATMAT items was obtained through the Integrated Ombudsman and Information Access Platform “Fala.BR”. For the analyses of the selected medicines, the recommendations of the “Ministry of Health´s Descriptive Standard for Medicines” and the “Controlled Vocabulary of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Routes of Administration and Medicine Packging” of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) were used as references. Results: CATMAT contained 11,548 registered items in the class “6505 – Drugs and Medicines,” of which 5,788 had “active” status. Among the medicines analyzed, 92% of the items had the active pharmaceutical ingredient described according to the Brazilian Common Denomination (DCB). Among compounded medicines, 71% had the “composition” field completed in the registry; in 6% of the records, information on “composition” was not applicable but was filled in inadvertently. Additionally, 96% of the
items contained dosage information, 61% of the records reported the “pharmaceutical dosage form,” and the “optional characteristics” field was observed in 5% of the items. Conclusions: Despite efforts to catalog medicines acquired by the Public Administration, the results indicate a persistent lack of standardization in the registry descriptions, as well as incomplete information, which may hinder the procurement process.