Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Brazil Weighs Tirzepatide Access: New Bill Seeks Farmácia Popular Coverage as Patent‑Break Push Advances

Officials are signaling caution by citing WHO guidance, with the manufacturer warning that weaker patent rules could deter investment.

Overview

  • Deputy Pompeo de Mattos filed a bill to include Mounjaro and Zepbound in the federal Farmácia Popular program, tying dispensing to clinical eligibility and Executive monitoring.
  • The Chamber of Deputies earlier approved urgency for Deputy Mário Heringer’s proposal to allow compulsory licensing of Mounjaro, enabling a rapid floor vote.
  • Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said Brazil will follow the World Health Organization and that the agency is not currently debating Mounjaro.
  • Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, says diluting intellectual‑property protections would inject legal uncertainty and make Brazil less attractive for future innovation investment.
  • Backers cite high monthly costs (about R$1,400–R$3,000) and harms from a clandestine market to justify action, while noting compulsory licensing is lawful but rare and Mounjaro’s patent runs to 2036.