Judicialization of health: lawsuits for access to medicines in Uruguaiana-RS

Introduction: In Brazil, the right to health has a constitutional and universal provision. However, the judicial route has been widely used to access health goods and services. Objective: To analyze the lawsuits of medicines filed by citizens of a Brazilian municipality. Methods: Quantitative and retrospective study evaluating 652 lawsuits filed in 2016 conducted in Uruguaiana, state of Rio Grande do Sul. The information was made available by the State Department of Health. Results: 55.5% of lawsuits filed were related to drugs provided by the public health system Sistema Unico de Saude (SUS). 44.5% did not fit into the guidelines of the Brazilian Policy for Pharmaceutical Services. Most of the lawsuits were filed by women over 60 years old. Regarding the therapeutic classification, the most requested drugs were for the nervous system. The most described pathological condition according to the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) was Diabetes Mellitus. Conclusion: These data corroborate the situation found in other parts of the country, demonstrating the need to reorganize the Pharmaceutical Service Policy to ensure universal and equitable access to medicines, as described in the Federal Constitution.