Chile Clears Cruz Verde for Digital Medicine Sales on Mercado Libre

Chile has taken a significant step toward digital medicine sales by permitting 13 Cruz Verde stores to sell over-the-counter medicines on the online platform, Mercado Libre. The Instituto de Salud Pública, Chile’s medicines regulator, granted this authorization. The permitted stores are located in Santiago and other cities like Puerto Montt, Chillán, Talca, Temuco, Rancagua, Concepción, and Viña del Mar.

The permit covers a network of over 890 stores, with the 13 authorized stores handling the sales directly. Mercado Libre supplies the website, payment system, and logistics for these sales, while each store operates under its own technical director, a licensed pharmacist. The Chilean law requires a physical store with a licensed pharmacist for any medicine sales, so the digital model is an accessory channel to this authorization.

Chilean pharmacies are required to have a physical presence, and the national medicines agency, Anamed, emphasizes that electronic dispensing is not a substitute regime. The ministry’s priority is a different bill, Boletín 15850-11, on illegal medicine sales, which is currently under study. The first Ley de Fármacos, Chile’s drugs law, was approved in 2014, promoting bioequivalent generics and unit-dose sales. Despite several attempts, the second version, Ley de Fármacos II, has not been enacted for over a decade.