ANVISA on action: Withdrawals of irregular household cleaners during the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

Household cleaning products are responsible for disinfecting surfaces, being essential in preventing and controlling the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In Brazil, such products undergo inspections by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). We present a descriptive analysis of the withdrawals from Brazilian market of household cleaning products used for sanitary control of COVID-19. The data have been obtained between March 1st and July 31th 2020 from the ANVISA website, and were compared with those obtained for the same timeframe in the previous 3 years (i.e., 2017, 2018 and 2019). We accounted for 222 inspection actions from March up to July 2020, being this the year with greater incidence. The majority (90.0%) of the identified companies have not been repeat offenders. The most significant increase in the number of irregular products containing chemical compounds with proven efficacy for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 was observed for hydroalcoholic solutions and gels (up to 18 folds). This coincides with the increase in the local demand for such products due to the pandemic. Overall, the main reasons leading to product withdrawal were the lack of company authorization to operate and the absence of product register by ANVISA. The most frequent inspection actions were suspension of use and suspension of disclosure. In conclusion, the ANVISA has effectively fulfilled its role in the inspection of irregularities concerning the manufacture and distribution of household cleaning products during one of the greatest pandemics of all time, thus contributing to the control of COVID-19 and to the health promotion in Brazil.