Pharmaceuticals are Sold Irregularly and Cheaply in Fortaleza’s Street Markets

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Irregular transactions of pharmaceuticals occur easily in informal trade spaces in Fortaleza, although they are prohibited under Brazilian law. The G1 news site team visited ten markets in the capital of Ceará, observing irregular sales in six of them.

Municipal Law No. 8222/1998 prohibits “buying, selling, ceding, transporting or using medicines without registration, license or authorization of the competent sanitary bodies or contrary to the provisions of the relevant sanitary legislation.” The fine for such cases, according to AGEFIS, may reach R$17,102 (US$4,275), depending on the gravity and recurrence of the infraction.

In the lanes of the Henrique Jorge neighborhood market, dozens of pills are displayed on trays next to boxes of syrup and other types of medicine.

“We have them for R$3 and R$5”, answered another seller when asked about the omeprazole, a medicine for those who suffer from gastritis and reflux. As for the price, she meant the size of the available packets. Piled up in the open air, there were paracetamol, dipyrone and other drugs used mainly as antipyretics, anti-influenza drugs, and painkillers.

Authorization

According to Federal Law No. 5.991/73, the marketing of any type of medicine that is not carried out in a licensed and authorized pharmacy or drugstore is prohibited. Also, article 282 of the Brazilian Penal Code defines that the illegal exercise of the profession of pharmacist is punishable by imprisonment from six months to two years. If the crime is committed for profit, a fine may also be applied.

Most irregular marketers seem to be aware of the risks of their activity. As the G1 team approached them, they conducted the same modus operandi: they covered the medicine with clothes, which they also sell. Others would scatter to warn their colleagues.

AGEFIS clarifies that these checks are intended to “protect the health of the population,” as such medicines may be stolen or counterfeit, as well as easing the arbitrary use of drugs, “a practice that may lead to severe health risks.”

Exposure to these risks is unnecessary since the Municipal Health Secretariat provides 84 products that make up the list of priority primary care drugs, including painkillers, antipyretics, and anti-allergy drugs, in all 113 health centers in Fortaleza and in the seven drug distribution centers at bus terminals.