Judicialization of medicines in the State of Rio de Janeiro: development from 2010 to 2017

ABSTRACT This article aimed to describe the evolution of the number of lawsuits requesting medicines in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This is a retrospective descriptive study, using the database of the Court of Justice, which describes the evolution of the number of lawsuits in the period 2010-2017. Data were analyzed according to the variables: Municipality, Health Region, and population size. Of the 87 counties (in 84 municipalities), 62 had an increase in the number of lawsuits. The Capital Judicial District concentrated the largest number of overturned cases, ranging from 2,026 to 2,797, with a similar pattern to the State. The largest increase in the number of lawsuits was observed in the municipalities of the group Small Size I (158.1%) and a decrease of 10.2% in the Medium-sized municipalities. With the exception of the Metropolis, the increase was more pronounced in the period 2014-2017 compared to the 2010-2014. There was a marked increase in lawsuits in the Special Courts of Public Treasury to the detriment of the Lower Public Treasury Courts. In conclusion, despite the general trend of growth, it presented a different trend according to the Judicial District, Region and population size of the municipalities, suggesting potential interference of institutional actors. Additionally, it was observed a migration of cases to Special Courts of Public Treasury in the Capital.