MercadoLibre to sell prescription drugs in Brazil

MercadoLibre is expanding its health vertical in Brazil by starting sales of prescription medications on Friday, September 25, 2026. The offering includes antibiotics and GLP-1 pens used to treat obesity and diabetes. The service will initially focus on São Paulo, with delivery times of up to one hour in areas covered by the company's logistics network.

Customers will upload prescriptions for review by a company pharmacist before orders are cleared for shipment. Fernando Yunes, CEO of MercadoLibre in Brazil, stated that users frequently search for medicine on the platform and noted that the conversion rate for medications is significantly higher than for other products.

The company also plans to add traditional drugstore chains to its marketplace under a third-party model. MercadoLibre aims to have at least 20 pharmacy chains operating on the platform by the end of the year, with initial integrations scheduled to begin in October across the São Paulo metropolitan area.

MercadoLibre entered the sector by acquiring Farmácia Cuidamos in the Jabaquara neighborhood of São Paulo from healthtech Memed to satisfy local regulatory rules. It previously tested over-the-counter medicine deliveries in up to three hours across neighborhoods such as Vila Mariana, Paraíso, and Itaim. The expansion follows similar pharmacy initiatives by the company in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile.