Pharmaceutical Services in Brazil: an anthropological analysis of the formulation of the National Pharmaceutical Service Policy

Abstract This article analyzes the evolution of pharmaceutical policies and services in Brazil, emphasizing the development of the latter and the political disputes and influence networks shaping governance in the sector. Based on an ethnography of documents, the study examines the institutional pathways and decision-making processes involved in the formulation of the National Pharmaceutical Services Policy, tracing its development from the National Medicines Policy. The findings reveal that the proposed model for pharmaceutical services was strongly influenced by social control mechanisms, establishing itself as a key coordinating axis of intersectoral policies. The incorporation of principles such as pharmaceutical care, initially promoted by the Pan American Health Organization, shows the strategic role played by this institution in shaping the policy. This new approach to pharmacotherapeutic care redefined the role of pharmacists, expanding their responsibilities beyond the mere distribution of medicines. The article thus presents innovative conceptual and methodological tools to theorize and analyze the functioning of public policies, offering insights for a critical understanding of the development of pharmaceutical services.