Table 4 Main characteristics of the principal medicines provision system in place in Brazil. 2015
Aspect | Medicines Provision System | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Farmácia Popular – government owned dispensing facilities | Farmacia Popular – covenantal private pharmacies | Public health care dispensing facilities | Out-of-pocket (private pharmacies and outlets) | |
Management | Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) | Department of Pharmaceuticals – Ministry of Health | Decentralized, mostly at Municipality level | Private |
Dispensing / selling facilities | Managed by government organizations (e.g. Municipality Health Secretariats, University Hospitals, NGOs), covenant with Fiocruz | Private pharmacies covenanted with the MoH | Public dispensing facilities, generally located inside health care facilities | Private pharmacies and pharmaceutical outlets |
Procurement | Managed by Fiocruz through open bid | Private pharmacies | Each government level. Primary health care medicines are mostly procured at Municipality level, except medicines to endemic diseases, which are central procured by the MoH | Private pharmacies |
Reference list | Yes, 41 therapeutic groups, 117 items | Yes, 9 therapeutic groups, 117 items | Yes, NEML (Rename) | No |
Clients/ prescription | Anyone | Anyone | Generally, only prescriptions from a public health facility is accepted | Anyone |
Payment | Fixed price antihypertensive, antidiabetics and antiashmatic medicines are free-of-charge to patients since 2011 | 90% of reference price paid by the government, difference paid by the patient (it occurs that selling price is bigger than reference price). 100% is paid by the government for antihypertensive, antidiabetics and antiasthmatic medicines since 2011 | Free-of-charge to patients | Out-of-pocket Maximum retail price defined by the regulatory agency (Anvisa) |