This Monday (2) the Chamber of Deputies approved the project that authorizes the sale of medicines in supermarkets. The text, which has already been approved by the Senate, now goes to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for approval.
The vote took place symbolically. The proposal allows supermarkets to sell medicines, including those for controlled use, as long as they install pharmacies in exclusive spaces, separate from other shelves, and keep a pharmacist in charge during all opening hours. Medicines cannot be displayed alongside other products.
The issue gained political momentum after a public demonstration by the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, who defended the measure on the grounds of expanding access and possible price reductions with increased competition. The government’s favorable position helped to unblock the process.
Despite Padilha’s approval, PT deputies were against the proposal. Representative Maria do Rosário (RS) stated that the project can expand self-medication:
— I will not vote against public health. Supermarkets sell everything, but medication is not just anything and must have a degree of control. I cannot understand the approval of a matter that deviates from the current standard.
In the 1990s
The sale of medicines in supermarkets was authorized for a brief period in the 1990s, but was later blocked by Congress and confirmed as prohibited by the Judiciary. With definitive approval in the Legislature, the topic returns to the Palácio do Planalto.
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If sanctioned, the new law will allow supermarkets to operate in-house pharmacies under the same health requirements applied to traditional drugstores, changing the competitive dynamics.
