0296/2025 - Assistência farmacêutica no Brasil: uma análise antropológica da formulação da Política Nacional de Assistência Farmacêutica Pharmaceutical Services in Brazil: An Anthropological Analysis of the Formulation of the National Pharmaceutical Service Policy
Este artigo analisa a evolução das políticas de medicamentos e da assistência farmacêutica no Brasil, com ênfase na trajetória desta última, destacando as disputas políticas e as redes de influência que moldaram a governança do setor. Com base em uma etnografia de documentos, foram examinadas os percursos institucionais e os processos decisórios envolvidos na formulação da Política Nacional de Assistência Farmacêutica, desde a promulgação da Política Nacional de Medicamentos. O estudo evidencia que o modelo proposto para a assistência farmacêutica foi construído sob forte influência do controle social, consolidando-se como eixo articulador de políticas intersetoriais. A incorporação de princípios como a atenção farmacêutica, incialmente promovida pela Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde, ressalta o papel estratégico dessa entidade na conformação da política. Essa abordagem inovadora ao cuidado farmacoterapêutico redefiniu o papel dos farmacêuticos, ampliando suas atribuições para além da distribuição de medicamentos. O artigo propõe, assim, ferramentas conceituais e metodológicas capazes de aprofundar a análise crítica das políticas públicas, contribuindo para a compreensão do processo de desenvolvimento da assistência farmacêutica.
Palavras-chave:
Assistência Farmacêutica; Política Nacional de Assistência Farmacêutica; Política Pública; Política Nacional de Medicamentos.
Abstract:
This article analyzes the evolution of pharmaceutical policies and services in Brazil, emphasizing the development of the latter and the political disputes and influence networks shaping governance in the sector. Based on an ethnography of documents, the study examines the institutional pathways and decision-making processes involved in the formulation of the National Policy for Pharmaceutical Services, tracing its development from the National Medicines Policy. The findings reveal that the proposed model for pharmaceutical services was strongly influenced by mechanisms of social control, establishing itself as a key articulating axis of intersectoral policies. The incorporation of principles such as pharmaceutical care, initially promoted by the Pan American Health Organization, demonstrates the strategic role played by this institution in shaping the policy. This new approach to pharmacotherapeutic care redefined the role of pharmacists, expanding their responsibilities beyond the mere distribution of medicines. The article thus presents innovative conceptual and methodological tools to theorize and analyze the functioning of public policies, offering insights for a critical understanding of the development of pharmaceutical services.
Keywords:
Pharmaceutical Services; National Policy of Pharmaceutical Assistance; Public Policy; National Drug Policy.
Pharmaceutical Services in Brazil: An Anthropological Analysis of the Formulation of the National Pharmaceutical Service Policy
Resumo (abstract):
This article analyzes the evolution of pharmaceutical policies and services in Brazil, emphasizing the development of the latter and the political disputes and influence networks shaping governance in the sector. Based on an ethnography of documents, the study examines the institutional pathways and decision-making processes involved in the formulation of the National Policy for Pharmaceutical Services, tracing its development from the National Medicines Policy. The findings reveal that the proposed model for pharmaceutical services was strongly influenced by mechanisms of social control, establishing itself as a key articulating axis of intersectoral policies. The incorporation of principles such as pharmaceutical care, initially promoted by the Pan American Health Organization, demonstrates the strategic role played by this institution in shaping the policy. This new approach to pharmacotherapeutic care redefined the role of pharmacists, expanding their responsibilities beyond the mere distribution of medicines. The article thus presents innovative conceptual and methodological tools to theorize and analyze the functioning of public policies, offering insights for a critical understanding of the development of pharmaceutical services.
Palavras-chave (keywords):
Pharmaceutical Services; National Policy of Pharmaceutical Assistance; Public Policy; National Drug Policy.
Penaforte, TR. Assistência farmacêutica no Brasil: uma análise antropológica da formulação da Política Nacional de Assistência Farmacêutica. Cien Saude Colet [periódico na internet] (2025/ago). [Citado em 20/06/2026].
Está disponível em: http://cienciaesaudecoletiva.com.br/artigos/assistencia-farmaceutica-no-brasil-uma-analise-antropologica-da-formulacao-da-politica-nacional-de-assistencia-farmaceutica/19772?id=19772
