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Agreement and the World Trade Organizations Doha Declaration, including for access to medicines for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) for all in need, as stated in WHO negotiations at the UN high-level meeting. NCDs are a worldwide epidemic; therefore, the debate about intellectual ownership of new therapies and access to low-cost, high-quality, safe, and eective medicines and technologies needs to be advanced;9 however, this important issue was not addressed in the Commission.1 In March, 2011, a plan to strengthen the network of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer was launched in Brazil by the Ministry of Health.5 Radiotherapy resources will be expanded and services created in 48 hospitals, and Brazils Ministry of Health will modernise 32 existing services. Therefore, the ministry will purchase 80 new linear accelerators; the largest acquisition of any country in the past few years. These devices will be mainly distributed in the northern and northeastern regions of the country thus reducing inequalities.5 Because of the magnitude of NCDs, which are responsible for 72% of deaths in Brazil, the Ministry of Health launched the strategic action plan to tackle NCDs, prioritising actions and investments to reduce these diseases and their risk factors.5,8,10 Brazils tobacco prevention programme has reduced smoking prevalence from 348% in 1989, to 172% in 2008.4,8,10 Findings from telephone surveys in Brazilian state capitals conrmed the decline in prevalence between 2006 and 2011.6 In 2011, the government approved new laws,
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which established smoke-free environments, increased cigarette taxes to 85%, and required posting of warnings on packaging.8,10 These actions have contributed to a 20% decline in rates of NCDs between 1996 and 2007. The long-term goal is to reduce mortality from NCDs by 2% per year.5,8 Great challenges exist in Brazil and in the many other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, but it is important to emphasise the need for improvements in information systems and registries to ensure that cancer-related policies are robust. Brazil has a strong commitment to addressing NCDs, and will continue to work tirelessly to support patients with cancer. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr*, Helvecio Miranda Magalhaes Jr
Secretaria de Vigilncia em Sade, Ministrio da Sade do Brasil, Braslia 70070-600, Brazil (JBdS, HMM) Jarbas.barbosa@saude.gov.br
JBdS is Secretary of Health Surveillance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and HMM is Secretary of Health Care. We declare that we have no concts of interest. 1 2 Goss, PE, Lee BL, Badovinac-Crnjevic T, et al. Planning cancer control in Latin America and the Caribbean. Lancet Oncol 2013; 14: 391436. Simon S, Bines J, Barrios C, et al. Clinical characteristics and outcome of treatment of Brazilian women with breast cancer treated at public and private institutionsThe AMAZONE Project of the Brazilian Breast Cancer Study Group (GBECAM). 32nd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; San Antonio, TX, USA; Dec 1013, 2009. Abstr 3082.
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Instituto Nacional de Cancer (INCA). Perl da morbimortalidade brasileira do cncer da mama. Informativo de Vigilancia do Cancer. N. 2 janeiro/abril 2012. Nov 28, 2012. http://www1.inca.gov.br/inca/ Arquivos/comunicacao/informativo_vigilancia_cancer_n2_2012_ internet.pdf (accessed Feb 26, 2013). Instituto Brasileiro de Geograa e Estatstica (IBGE). Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domiclios. Panorama da Sade no Brasil: acesso e utilizao dos servios, condies de sade e fatores de risco e proteo sade (PNAD 2008). Rio de Janeiro: IBGE; 2010. Brasil Ministrio da Sade. Plano de aes estratgicas para o enfrentamento das doenas crnicas no transmissveis (DCNT) no Brasil, 20112022. Braslia: Ministrio da Sade; 2011. http://portal. saude.gov.br/portal/saude/prossional/area.cfm?id_area=1818 (accessed Feb 26, 2013). Brasil Ministrio da Sade. Secretaria de Vigilncia em Sade. Vigitel Brasil 2011: vigilncia de fatores de risco e proteo para doenas crnicas por inqurito telefnico. Braslia: Ministrio da Sade, 2012. Ministrio da Sade. DATASUS. Informaes em Sade. http://www2. datasus.gov.br/DATASUS/index.php?area=0202 (accessed Feb 22, 2013). Malta DC. de Morais Neto Otaliba L, da Silva Jr JB. Apresentao do plano de aes estratgicas para o enfrentamento das doenas crnicas no transmissveis no Brasil, 2011 a 2022. Epidemiol Serv Sade 2011; 20: 42538. Hogerzeil HV, Liberman J, Wirtz VJ, et al, on behalf of The Lancet NCD Action Group. Promotion of access to essential medicines for non-communicable diseases: practical implications of the UN political declaration. Lancet 2013; 381: 68089. Bonita R, Magnusson R, Bovet P, et al, on behalf of The Lancet NCD Action Group. Country actions to meet UN commitments on non-communicable diseases: a stepwise approach. Lancet 2013; 381: 57584.
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