The Regional Council of Pharmacy of the State of São Paulo (CRF-SP) requested the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of São Paulo (MPSP) to investigate the irregular commercialization of medicines through automatic vending machines. The measure comes after inspections detected the operation of this equipment in residential condominiums and high-traffic locations, operating without the necessary control.
The irregularities were found in cities such as São Paulo, Guarulhos, Santo André, and São Bernardo do Campo. According to the council, the machines allow the purchase of products without any age verification, quantity limitation, or the mandatory presence of a pharmacist for guidance.
The entity reinforces that national sanitary legislation requires the delivery of medications to be made exclusively in authorized establishments, such as drugstores and pharmacies, always relying on professional assistance. Anvisa itself has already positioned itself against the use of automatic machines for this purpose.
The president of CRF-SP, Luciana Canetto, warned about the dangers of unsupervised self-medication. She highlighted that even products that do not require a prescription can cause poisoning, severe adverse reactions, and dangerous drug interactions, and can even lead to death.
The council also pointed out potential violations of the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), since easy access exposes minors to the indiscriminate consumption of substances that can harm physical and mental health.
In response to the request, the Public Prosecutor's Office initiated a procedure to hear those involved. The investigation is expected to include the company that owns the machines and the Health Surveillance agencies to determine appropriate measures to protect public health.
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