Brasília – A federal lawmaker moves forward with a proposal to classify Mounjaro as a medicine of public interest, a legal mechanism that could open the way for compulsory licensing and potential patent override under Brazil’s intellectual property framework. The initiative aims to reduce the price of the drug, currently indicated for type 2 diabetes and widely used off-label for obesity, amid growing political pressure over the affordability of high-cost therapies in the country.

The bill is under analysis in the House of Representatives, where the author, representative Mario Heringer (PDT-GO), seeks to appoint a physician as rapporteur to strengthen the technical legitimacy of the debate and counter expected resistance from the pharmaceutical sector. The strategy also includes securing backing from the centrão bloc, whose support is considered decisive for accelerating committee review and ensuring favorable positioning in the legislative agenda.

If advanced, the proposal could reignite broader discussions on the use of compulsory licensing as a public health tool in Brazil, particularly in cases involving innovative medicines with significant budgetary impact. The debate reflects the tension between intellectual property protection, market exclusivity and public health access policies, especially as demand for metabolic and anti-obesity treatments continues to expand.

Source: UOL