MercadoLibre Wants to Run Its Own Pharmacy in Chile

Business

MercadoLibre wants to sell you medicine in Chile, and deliver it within hours. The Latin American e-commerce giant is pushing a MercadoLibre pharmacy plan that would take it deeper into healthcare, if regulators let it.

MercadoLibre is Latin America’s largest e-commerce and fintech company. In Chile, as in Argentina and Mexico, it currently only lists medicines sold by outside retailers rather than running a pharmacy itself.

Now it wants to change that, and become the seller.

What MercadoLibre Is Proposing

The company has held talks with Chilean authorities to evaluate operating a pharmacy directly, through a model built around online sales of medicines and fast home delivery.

The pitch includes deliveries within a few hours in certain regions, a logistics edge MercadoLibre already uses for other goods.

The Regulatory Hurdle

There is a catch: Chilean law does not currently allow a pharmacy to operate exclusively online, and MercadoLibre does not hold authorization to run a physical pharmacy there.

After learning of the plan, Chile’s Ministry of Health recommended the company seek a technical evaluation from the Public Health Institute (ISP), since the proposal would require regulatory changes or reinterpretations.

The Brazil Blueprint

MercadoLibre is following a path it tested in Brazil, where it acquired a physical pharmacy to satisfy the rules and, in March, began a pilot selling over-the-counter medicines in Sao Paulo.

Buying its way into compliance, rather than waiting for the law to change, may be the template it brings to other markets.

Why It Matters

If it succeeds, MercadoLibre would move from listing other sellers’ products to competing head-on with Chile’s established pharmacy chains, a market long dominated by a few large players.

It is also a sign of how far the region’s biggest online platform is willing to push into regulated, everyday sectors like healthcare, where the prizes are large but the rules are strict.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does MercadoLibre want to do in Chile?

It wants to operate its own pharmacy, selling medicines directly to customers with rapid delivery, rather than only listing products from outside retailers as it does now.

Why does MercadoLibre need a rule change?

Chilean regulations do not currently permit a pharmacy to operate exclusively online, and the company lacks authorization to run a physical pharmacy, so the plan requires regulatory changes or a technical evaluation.

What did MercadoLibre do in Brazil?

It acquired a physical pharmacy to meet local rules and began a pilot selling over-the-counter medicines in Sao Paulo in March 2026.

Sources

• Diario Financiero – MercadoLibre busca operar su farmacia propia en Chile
• Emol – Mercado Libre buscaria entrar al negocio de las farmacias en Chile

Connected Coverage

• Mercado Libre Posts Record Quarter as Argentina’s Digital Economy Rebounds
• Mercado Libre Revenue Surges 49% but EPS Misses as LATAM Giant Invests
• Chile Electricity Law Makes Utilities Pay for Blackouts

Sources: Reuters.