The Chamber of Deputies approved on Monday (2) the bill allowing medicine sales in pharmacies installed inside supermarkets, with rules for physical separation and pharmacist presence. The text, heading to presidential sanction, aims to facilitate access to medicines, especially in remote areas, but faces opposition from some deputies over public health risks.
The Chamber of Deputies approved by symbolic vote, on Monday (March 2, 2026), the bill authorizing medicine sales in pharmacies located inside supermarkets. According to the text, medicines must be kept in a physically separated environment from other sectors, off common shelves, and in compliance with Anvisa sanitary norms. Additionally, a pharmacist's presence is mandatory during all operating hours, and there are specific rules for specially controlled medicines, such as transport in sealed packaging to the checkout or prepayment.
The pharmacies may be installed in the sales area of supermarkets, integrating with the same CNPJ, bringing them closer to products than in previous setups. The bill, authored by Senator Efraim Filho (UNIÃO-PB), was reported in the plenary by Deputy Dr. Zacharias Calil (União Brasil-GO). Calil emphasized that the proposal stems from "institutional dialogue and technical reflection, seeking balance between free initiative, competition, and public health protection". He also argued that "the widespread presence of markets, supermarkets and their equivalents, including in the most remote locations of the national territory, can be adequately used to facilitate the lives of medicine users".
In August 2025, the Health Minister, Alexandre Padilha (PT), supported the measure in a video, stating it would expand population access to medicines. The Senate approved the text in September 2025, by the Social Affairs Committee, with terminative character, sending it directly to the Chamber's plenary.
Despite government support, PT deputies, such as Maria do Rosário (PT-RS), opposed it. For her, the bill creates a "public health problem", encouraging indiscriminate medication use. "Even with government guidance, with party guidance, I maintain my position (...) believing that we must address this indiscriminate use of medications", she stated. The initial bill provided for sales of non-prescription medicines on shelves, with in-person or virtual pharmacist assistance, but the final text imposes more restrictions.
