Sign inBrazil: Are state sector structural changes on the way in hearing aid market?
Agreement
Looking to the future of hearing aid production under Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS), December saw the signing of a productive development partnership deal (PDP) between Lafergs (state Pharmaceutical Laboratory of Rio Grande do Sul) and the Brazilian ministry of health's Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Strategic Supplies.
The agreement was signed in Brasilia by the director of Lafergs, Paulo Mayorga, in the presence of Health Minister, Ricardo Barros, during the 12th meeting of the Executive Group of the Industrial Health Complex (GESIS).
Approved by the Ministry of Health in 2015, this PDP assures the production of 80,000 hearing aids per year, a quantity that represents close to 50% of the annual total acquired by hearing centers set up by the SUS.
Developed by the firm Wavetech, a start-up based in Florianópolis, this technology will be transferred progressively to Lafergs over a seven-year period. In total, six hearing aid models are involved—three behind-the-ear, and three in-the-ear—and these conform to the A, B, and C categories defined by the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
For the full news story in Portuguese: Audiology Infos Brasil.
More on Wavetech.
