Brazil News
BRASILIA – President Dilma Rousseff vetoed a bill that would have allowed sale of over-the-counter medicines in supermarkets. The president based the veto, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, on an analysis done by the Ministries of Health and Justice, reported online media.
“Expanding the availability of drugs in the establishments in question [supermarkets] would make it difficult to control marketing. Furthermore, the proposal could encourage self-medication and indiscriminate use, which would be harmful to public health,” argued the president in her veto.
In Brazil, marketing and sales of over-the-counter remedies are tightly regulated. The medicines cannot make any claims not backed by science and can only be sold in drug stores. Hotels and similar establishments can also sell limited quantities to registered guests.
