[Antidotes and medicines used to treat poisoning in Brazil: needs, availability and opportunities].

Antidotes and certain other drugs are essential for treating some types of poisoning. Failures in their supply can jeopardize the population's health and safety. The current study aimed to assess the availability of antidotes and other drugs used in the treatment of poisonings in Brazil. International guidelines were used as the basis for selecting 41 antidotes for analysis, none of which currently protected by patents. Of these, 27 are registered in Brazil, but 11 of these are available in inadequate forms for treating poisoning, leaving 16 commercially available antidotes. Only one-third of the drugs needed for treating poisoning are included in the country's list of essential drugs. The article also presents a proposal for supplying the demand for one of the antidotes, anti-digoxin antibody, considering Brazil's domestic capacity for manufacturing immunobiologicals. The study's results show the limitations to adequate treatment for poison victims in Brazil and reinforce the urgent need to strengthen public policies in this area.