Argentina medication safety and access concerns

Health professionals in Argentina are raising alarms regarding the risks of unregulated medication consumption and the shifting patterns of drug access. In Misiones, the Colegio de Farmacéuticos has warned that economic pressures are driving an increase in the informal circulation of medicines through social media, kiosks, and supermarkets. Vania Ilchuk, president of the Colegio de Farmacéuticos de Misiones, noted that these unregulated transactions make it impossible to guarantee “expiration dates, proper storage, traceability, origin, and product authenticity.” This trend coincides with a 20% to 30% contraction in pharmaceutical sales as families struggle to afford treatments.

Broadening the scope to a national level, medical and pharmaceutical experts are warning against the rise of over-the-counter (OTC) drug use. The Colegio de Médicos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires expressed concern that government policies and aggressive advertising are encouraging self-medication. Professionals warn that the lack of a prescription does not eliminate risks, such as accidental overdoses from combining products with identical active ingredients.

María Elena Sarmiento, president of the Colegio de Farmacéuticos, observed that while prescription medication sales are decreasing due to high costs, the availability of OTC drugs is rising. She cautioned that patients are increasingly treating medicine as a “consumer commodity” rather than a social good, often confusing OTC availability with “free consumption” that lacks professional guidance.