This reduction is due to the price increases for medicine in general. Today, the Brazilian consumer demands good quality products at competitive prices. Although total sales are down, imports are up since foreign products are taking an ever large share of the market. United States sales have traditionally been made through Brazilian agents, distributors and importers who sell to hospitals and clinics. There are few quality Brazilian manufacturers of high tech domestic products, and reliance on imports will generally continue.
Financing often becomes the differentiating criteria in making the sale.
Excluding the direct sales networks of individual multinational manufacturers, virtually all distributors are regional rather than national. The rapid expansion of Brazil s private health care market offers the best import opportunities. Despite the estimated 15 million new consumers that entered the market, consumption of medicament units remained the same as in 1998. This tendency is due to the price increases for medicine in general. Today, the Brazilian consumer demands good quality products at competitive prices.