The hearing of the new directors-presidents of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS) will take place next Thursday, August 13, at the Federal Senate. The session, conducted by the Social Affairs Committee (CAS), will also define the future of two other leadership positions at Anvisa. After approval in the Plenary, the nominees will take office, with no set date.

On Wednesday (6), CAS presented the reports related to the nominations. After the reading, the committee's president, Senator Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI), confirmed the date of the hearing. If the names receive approval, the nominations will move on to analysis and voting in the Senate Plenary.

“This is a demand for the Agency to operate efficiently. Anvisa operates in various areas, and the lack of directors ends up overloading the work,” said Larissa Baldez Meneghel, lawyer and former Anvisa employee in an episode of Deusa Cast - Sechat's original Podcast, which will air on Tuesday, August 12, at 8 p.m. on YouTube and Sechat's Spotify.

Agency Nominations

Economist Leandro Pinheiro Safatle has been nominated for the presidency of Anvisa (MSF 91/2024), succeeding Antônio Barra Torres. The nomination's rapporteur is Senator Mara Gabrilli (PSD-SP), author of PL 5511/2023, which deals with the regulation of cannabis cultivation and production for medicinal use in Brazil.

Safatle holds a degree in Economics from the University of Brasília and has experience at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A federal public servant since 2011, he has worked at Anvisa, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), and the Ministry of Health, where he currently serves as Deputy Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation and the Health Economic-Industrial Complex.

In addition to Safatle, the Senate will analyze the nomination of Thiago Lopes Cardoso (MSF 35/2025), legal coordinator of the Brazilian Hospital Services Company (EBSERH) and a member of the Bahia State Health Council. With backgrounds in business management, health policies, and health law, his nomination is under the rapporteurship of Senator Dra. Eudócia (PL-AL).

The third nomination is that of biologist Daniela Marreco Cerqueira (MSF 90/2024), a career civil servant at Anvisa since 2006 and the current executive secretary of the Chamber for Drug Market Regulation (CMED). Specialized in public health by Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Daniela will have Senator Fernando Dueire (MDB-PE) as her rapporteur.

Cannabis on the Agenda at Anvisa

One of the ongoing topics at the Agency is the revision of RDC 327/2019, a regulation that governs medicinal cannabis products in Brazil. Public Consultation No. 1,316/2025, closed on June 2, awaits technical analysis of the contributions received. Experts believe that the arrival of new directors could expedite the review process.

Another topic that is expected to return to the agenda is the revision of RDC 660/2022, which was announced for June 2025 but has not progressed to date. The regulation addresses rules that directly impact the logistics and control of medications in the country.