Brazil: pharmacy sales of cannabis products grow 342.3%

Research by the Cannabis & Health Portal shows a 342.3% growth in sales of cannabis-based products in pharmacies in Brazil since 2018.

From the entry of the first product on the market to date, revenue has expanded significantly: from 2021 to 2022 alone, the increase was 156.1%, moving to R$77,008,596.00.

Prescriptions have grown 487.8% in the last year.

The number of doctors prescribing cannabidiol-based products for purchase in pharmacies went from 6,300 in 2021 to 15,400 last year, an increase of 146%.

Among all medical specialties prescribing cannabidiol, neurologists are 33%; psychiatrists, 26%; geriatricians, 8%; pediatricians, 7%; general practitioners, 5%; and orthopedists, 3%.

“Essentially, these specialties account for more than 80% of the prescribing volume importance of this market,” the study says.

MEDICAL PRACTICE

For the general practitioner with international certification in Endocannabinoid Medical Practice by WeCann Academy (2021), Tércio Sousa, the numbers indicate the integrity of the information that cannabis is now indispensable in medicine.

“It’s a path of no return. Doctors who only treat with allopathy are often unsuccessful and then begin to lose the patient to those using cannabis.”

“Most of the patients who now seek treatment with cannabis are people who have been fighting pain, spasms, and Parkinson’s tremor for a long time and don’t see any results,” said Tércio, a physician who is also a partner in the Association for the Support of Research and Patients of Medicinal Cannabis (Apepi).

According to him, the high price of the products is still an obstacle, and the way out is the national production of cannabis.

“Today, we see associations, like Apepi, growing and increasing the production of plants and oils, supported by court decisions. Apepi has a production capacity of 5,000 bottles a month. From the moment the national planting is liberated, everything is solved. For this, it is necessary to change the legislation”, he pondered.

ANVISA

Besides the acquisition of cannabis products on the national market, exceptional imports are possible only for personal use upon registration and prior approval by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and medical prescription, informed the regulatory agency.

The authorizations granted for importing cannabis-based products increased from 850 in 2015 to 153,671 in 2022.

“We clarify that there may be more than one authorization issued for the same patient over a year,” Anvisa said.

The agency also clarified that there are currently 25 cannabis products authorized for sale in Brazilian pharmacies and only one registered cannabis-based drug, Mevatyl.

According to Anvisa, cannabis products constitute a category created in Brazil in 2019.

“They do not have a pre-approved indication in Brazil, as they do not have conclusive efficacy and safety data at the level required for drug registration.”

“The indication and form of use, as well as the target population of these products, are not previously approved by the agency, leaving their definition under the responsibility of the patient’s treating physician,” the agency said.

“Thus, these products can be used by the Brazilian population without other therapeutic alternatives, according to medical orientation and prescription, while the confirmatory clinical studies of their efficacy are concluded so that they can then be, in the future, registered as medicines.”

“The cannabis-based drug, conversely, has specific indications proven and validated through clinical studies, just like any other drug,” added Anvisa.

According to Tércio Sousa, scientific proof of the efficacy and safety of products requires time and investment.

“The main research done so far has been sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. Now the research institutions, such as Fiocruz, and universities are entering, such as the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), which got the release for planting,” he concluded.

With information from Agência Brasil