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Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of brief articles that will be featured as the PostScription of our journals in 2009. These articles are from compounders from around the world who explain their perspective on compounding pharmacy within their country. In this article, the authors have provided a brief synopsis of compounding pharmacy in Brazil. The authors provide us with their perspective of the beginning of compounding pharmacy in Brazil, the current status of compounding pharmacy in Brazil, and the future of compounding pharmacy in Brazil. We hope you find this series of articles and the reflection of compounders from abroad enlightening. As stated in an article in one of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding's previous issues, pharmaceutical compounding is universal in its prevalence. We think you will see a unifying theme in the various authors' comments that, in spite of stria regulations, there is a dedication to enable recovery and ensure the good health of their clients.
History and Evolution of Compounding in Brazil
Since the mid-1980s, three great factors guided the growth of the compounding pharmacy in Brazil:
* The lack of medication supply due to a new economic strategy (Cruzado economic plan). The government had to turn to compounding pharmacies to help supply the market and the public health service.
* The growth of a health issue, the body cult, which created a demand for compounded preparations. Compounding pharmacies were able to supply the demand for personalized medications in a responsible manner.
* An increase in the possibilities for various compounding activities because more active ingredients were free from the patent obstacle. This became a factor in the 1990s.
The amount of new compounding-only stores in Brazil...