The Future of Generics in Brazil

Abstract

Healthcare is receiving greater attention in Latin America than ever before and a number of countries in the region are in the midst of major reforms. These healthcare changes are taking place in an environment that is very different to many of the industrialised countries of the world, however, and are complicated by the profound social inequalities to be found across the region. As the largest country in the region, Brazil faces immense challenges in making healthcare more affordable. As the country's population is growing and ageing rapidly, the government has explored a range of healthcare initiatives such as increasing the use of generic medicines. This approach has been particularly successful in Brazil's efforts to tackle the AIDS pandemic and suggests that generics will receive greater priority in the future.