Anvisa authorizes licensed pharmacies to sell medicines on Shopee

Anvisa has revoked a preventive measure that prohibited the sale and advertisement of medicines on the Shopee platform. This decision follows the enactment of Law 15.357/2026, which allows licensed pharmacies and drugstores to utilize digital channels and e-commerce platforms for logistics and consumer delivery.

Under the new regulations, Shopee may intermediate sales provided they are conducted exclusively by duly licensed pharmacies and the products are registered with Anvisa. The platform remains subject to strict sanitary oversight, and illegal or unregistered products remain prohibited. This regulatory shift follows similar movements by other players like Mercado Livre and the authorization for pharmacies to operate within supermarkets.

In response, several pharmaceutical industry associations, including Abrafarma, Abafarma, and Febrafar, have requested technical clarifications from Anvisa. The entities are seeking guidance on the specific regulatory, operational, and sanitary limits applicable to marketplaces, digital channels, and third-party logistics providers to ensure full compliance with existing health standards.