Medications have a readjustment of 10.89%; see how to save

The Federal Government’s Cmed (Medicine Market Regulation Chamber) authorized an adjustment of 10.89% in medicines. The increase, published in the Official Gazette this Friday (1st), is already in effect and can be applied at any time in pharmacies and drugstores.

In the last week, pharmacists were already warning their customers that the price of medicines would soon rise. The industry, however, claims that the new values ​​should be applied in mid-April because of inventories.

Specialists, on the other hand, advise patients of continuous use to buy the drugs as soon as possible, take advantage of discount programs from the federal government, pharmacies and laboratories, and do a lot of research before buying.

The calculation to update the values ​​is done once a year by Cmed and is based on the inflation accumulated in 12 months until February in the IPCA (National Index of Broad Consumer Prices), which closed at 10.54%.

In addition to inflation, Cmed also takes into account three other factors, which analyze issues such as productivity, competitiveness and the increase in specific costs for the pharmaceutical sector.

Two of these factors had already been disclosed some time ago and would not interfere in the calculation. Regarding the last factor, the impact was 0.35%, according to Sindusfarma (Pharmaceutical Products Industry Union), totaling the readjustment of 10.89%.

Unlike previous years, the readjustment will be unique and will apply to the three defined drug levels. Before, depending on the competition, the increase in the medicine was greater or lesser. The change should harm the consumer, since the different levels were a way of holding back the price of certain types of medicines.

Until then, the practice was to authorize a greater increase for those with greater competition, as is the case with generics, and a smaller adjustment for those with high costs, such as some categories of antidepressants and anxiolytics, for example. In 2021, the authorized increases were 10.08%, 8.44% and 6.79%.

In a note, Sindusfarma says that the adjustment will not be automatic or immediate, as there is competition between companies.

“It is important for consumers to search pharmacies and drugstores for the best offers on
medicines prescribed by health professionals”, recommends Nelson Mussolini, executive president of the union.

“Depending on the replacement of stocks and the commercial strategies of the establishments, price increases may take months or not even happen”, he says.

Pharmaceutical industries also claim that medicines usually have a readjustment below average inflation – in the IPCA accumulated in the 12 months until February, pharmaceutical products rose 6.65%.

“Medicines have one of the most predictable and stable price behaviors in the Brazilian economy”, says Mussolini.

In 2020, the government postponed the adjustment in the price ceiling of medicines because of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. In 2021, the increase was applied normally, as it happens every year.

pricing policy

In February, the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) considered changing the form of adjustment, allowing drug prices to be modified at any time, but there was resistance from the economic team, against interventions in the market.

There were two proposals: one from Cmed, which indicated the possibility of an exceptional increase, whenever there was a rise in inputs, and another from the Ministry of Health, which suggested a provisional measure to allow these price revisions out of time.