MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS

After the debates on sale of drugs in supermarkets, the online sale of medicinal products to consumers has also become a highly controversial issue.

With the Covid 19 pandemic, consumer purchasing behavior changed significantly, boosting online drugs sales. According to a report published by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, citing data from a pharmacy association (ABRAFARMA), between December 2024 and November 2025, pharmacies’ digital revenue increased by 54.8% compared to the previous period, reaching a total share of 18%. Back in 2020, online sales represented only 3% of total pharmacy revenues. 

Alongside online sales carried out directly by pharmacies and drugstores themselves, marketplaces and delivery platforms have also begun operating in this segment in Brazil, implementing different business models, such as: (i) intermediation between sellers (such as partner pharmacies and drugstores) and consumers via digital platforms; or (ii) the operation of licensed pharmacies and drugstores by the platforms themselves, with pharmacists and proprietary drug stocks, operating either through (ii.a) establishments open to the public, or through (ii.b) dark stores (small distribution centers where products are stored and collected by couriers exclusively to fulfill app based orders).

See more at: Lexology

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  Gabriela Monteiro