Average price of medicines rises 6.6% in May, points out a survey

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Study considers the most sought-after drugs, belonging to nine different groups and sold in six large pharmaceutical chains operating in e-commerce in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. Medicine prices rose 6.6% in May in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. CDC/ Amanda Mills Medicines became more expensive in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. According to a survey carried out by Precifica, a company specializing in pricing strategies, the Price Index of Medicines in e-commerce (IPM-Com) rose 6.6% in May compared to April. The study involves the most sought-after drugs, belonging to nine different groups and sold in six large pharmaceutical chains operating in e-commerce. The main high highlight was the anti-flu, which registered an increase of 21.76% in prices in the monthly variation of May, after falling 14.36% in the previous month. Then came antihistamines (anti-allergy), with an increase of 13.18%, and contraceptives (7.31%). The only group that showed a decrease in the period was antiparasites, with a decrease of 34.04%. See below the variation of the nine evaluated groups. What explains the rise in prices? According to the president of Precifica, Ricardo Ramos, some factors explain the increase in drug prices, such as: the price adjustment made at the end of March; climate change and increased rainfall; and the transfer of factory prices. Understand below the influence of each one. Price adjustment The first point to be considered, points out Ramos, is the price adjustment authorized by the Medicines Market Regulation Chamber (CMED) and carried out at the end of March. “The adjustment was made based on the IPCA [inflação oficial do país] accumulated between March 2022 and February 2023 (5.6%). As inventory renewal can vary greatly between different classes of products, the adjustment may reflect in subsequent months”, said the executive. According to the company, despite differing from the inflation percentage released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the number follows the same upward trend in prices. The difference is because the IBGE indicator also analyzes group prices that are not monitored by Precifica. It is no coincidence that the group “Health and personal care” was the main highlight of the increase in the IPCA in the last two months. In May, for example, the segment registered an advance of 0.93%, after having increased 1.49% in April. In both cases, the sector had the highest increase in the indicator. At the opening of the IPCA, the item “Pharmaceutical Products” increased by 0.77% in May in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. Nationally, the advance was 0.89%. Ramos also considers that part of the upward trend in prices is also confirmed by the “essentiality of the market”. “In a financially tight situation, very rarely do families cut their consumption of medications, especially those for continuous use, such as anti-diabetics and anti-hypertensives”, says the executive. In May, the increase seen in these groups was 2.09% and 6.58%, respectively. Changes in climate Also according to Ramos, another important factor that may explain the increase in medication in the region is the climate. He points out that, in April this year, São Paulo (SP) recorded 104.6 millimeters (mm) of rain at the conventional station of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), at Mirante de Santana. The amount was 20% above the 1991/2020 Climatological Normal (historical average), which is 87.0 mm. “The IPM-COM detected a strong increase in anti-flu drugs in the month of May, which may be a reflection of the increased demand for this type of medicine due to the incidence of rain in the region”, says the executive. Transfer from factories Finally, another point that also explains the increase in prices for consumers is the transfer from the factory. An example of this is that the Producer Price Index (IPP), also released by the IBGE, registered an increase of 3.97% for the category “manufacture of pharmochemicals and pharmaceutical products”. “This was the biggest increase of the year so far. and the increase [de preços] seen in May and which will probably be seen in June may indeed reflect the transfer from producers to consumers”, adds Ramos. Variation between neighborhoods The President of Precifica also says that prices may vary in regions within the same city. Ramos explains that this happens because several factors influence demand, such as: climate change; health issues; delivery time; and access to the public hospital network. “These factors can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and, to contemplate them, companies use regional pricing, which can cause the same medicine to vary in price according to the place, date and even time of purchase”, says Ramos.

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