The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) released a new panel for consulting the prices of medicines sold in Brazil. The proposal is to make it easier for the population to consult maximum values authorized by the Medicines Market Regulation Chamber (CMED).
In a note, Anvisa highlighted that pharmacies and drugstores, as well as laboratories, distributors and importers cannot charge above the price allowed by CMED.
Until then, the list of maximum prices allowed for the sale of medicines was available on the Anvisa portal and updated monthly. With the new panel, in addition to the list, consumers will be able to make more specific queries, depending on the desired product, using the name of the medicine, the active ingredient or the registration number.
Reports
If the consumer notices that the price of a medicine in an establishment is higher than permitted, the agency’s guidance is to forward a complaint to CMED itself, “thus contributing to market monitoring and inhibiting overpricing practices by establishments.”
“It should be noted that, considering the obligation to comply with the price ceilings defined by CMED and registered in the Medicines Market Monitoring System, the panel aims to assist in consulting medicine prices, but does not replace official price lists of medicines published monthly.”
Understand
The Maximum Consumer Price (PMC) is the so-called ceiling price authorized for the retail trade of medicines, that is, pharmacies and drugstores.
The Maximum Sales Price to the Government (PMVG) is the ceiling price for sales of medicines that are on the list or to comply with a court decision. It corresponds to the result of applying a mandatory minimum discount in relation to the Factory Price (PF), which is the price ceiling at which a laboratory or distributor can sell a medicine on the Brazilian market.
