Anvisa lifts restrictions on medicine sales via digital platforms

Anvisa has revoked sanitary restrictions that prohibited the sale and advertising of medicines on several major digital platforms, including iFood, Rappi, Mercado Livre, Americanas, Submarino, and Shopee. This regulatory shift follows the implementation of Law 15.357/2026, which allows licensed pharmacies and drugstores to utilize e-commerce and delivery platforms for logistics and distribution.

Despite the removal of previous prohibitions, Anvisa emphasized that this does not grant automatic or unrestricted authorization for these platforms to sell medications. The platforms act as intermediaries or logistics providers; the actual sale must still be conducted by duly licensed pharmaceutical establishments that comply with all current sanitary regulations.

Industry associations, including Abrafarma and Abcfarma, have requested further technical clarification regarding the operational and regulatory limits of this new model. While the move eliminates regulatory uncertainty for the digital market, the full practical application of these sales depends on specific supplementary regulations that Anvisa is expected to publish in the coming months.