Brazilian court to rule on access to medicines

The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil will decide whether states should provide access to high cost drugs that are not listed on the public health system—Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Applications for access to these drugs are usually made based on the right of every Brazilian to health.

The court is looking at two specific cases. The first, from 2007, is from the government of Rio Grande do Norte, which is appealing against an application from a patient for sildenafil (Viagra). The second case, from 2008, involves a patient with chronic kidney disease from Minas Gerais who is appealing against a decision by the …