This document reviews the gap between demand and access to medicines in Brazil's public health care system. It finds that while over 70% of medical consultations are publicly funded, around 70% of medicines are privately purchased due to high prices and limited availability in public pharmacies. This shifts the financial burden to users and disproportionately harms those who cannot afford treatment, increasing inequality. The document calls for improvements in budget forecasting, health planning, and data collection to better measure and address variations in access to medicines across regions and types of treatments.