When the omicron began to advance at the end of last year, the demand for drugs from the so-called Covid kit kept pace.
The number of chloroquine units sold in pharmacies rose from a level of 96,000 in November to more than 103,000 in December, according to consultancy Iqvia, which monitors retail pharmaceuticals.
Ivermectin, a vermifuge for scabies and lice, jumped from 1.1 million boxes to 1.5 million on the same basis of comparison.
Sales of the drugs, which have no proven effectiveness against the disease, but were recommended by Bolsonaro during the pandemic, had been on a downward trajectory since the end of the first half of 2021.
The peak of sales of the two medicines took place in March last year, when the country recorded more than 3,000 daily deaths from Covid. That month, nearly 470,000 units of chloroquine and 15.6 million of ivermectin were sold, says Iqvia.
Joana Cunha with andressa Motter and Ana Paula Branco
your subscription can be worth even more
Do you already know the advantages of being a Folha subscriber? In addition to having access to reports and columns, you have exclusive newsletters (find out here). You can also download our free app from the Apple Store or Google Play to receive alerts on the top news of the day. Your subscription helps us to make independent and quality journalism. Thanks!
your subscription is worth a lot
More than 180 reports and analyzes published each day. A team with more than 120 columnists. A professional journalism that supervises the public power, conveys useful and inspiring news, counterpoints the intolerance of social networks and draws a clear line between truth and lie. How much does it cost to help produce this content?
sign the sheet
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
