Supplying Medicines and Supplements to Argentina

Argentina is one of Latin America's biggest pharmaceutical markets, with a strong local industry. Imports do best where they bring something local makers don't: specialised, hospital and high-tech products.

Registration depends on where a product is already approved. A 1992 decree sorts countries into two annexes. Products approved in Annex I countries, such as the US, the UK, Japan, Canada, Switzerland and the main EU states, follow a simpler route. Annex II countries, which include India, Brazil, Mexico and China, need a certificate from the origin regulator and verification of the plant. Since 2025, ANMAT has been simplifying both steps.

Argentina at a glance

How to supply medicines to Argentina

1. Find an Argentine importer. An importer with its own quality-control laboratory and a pharmacist as technical director holds the registration and imports the product.
2. Check your annex. If the product is approved in an Annex I country, build on that approval. If not, plan for the origin-country certificate and plant verification.
3. Register the product. A CTD dossier with a CoPP and the plant's GMP evidence. ANMAT shortened its evaluation stages in 2025.
4. Supply. Pharmacies and distributors through your importer, or national tenders on COMPR.AR, which typically ask for an ANMAT product certificate.

The RAEM (exceptional access regime) lets a patient, family member or health facility import an unregistered medicine for one patient, for emergencies, or when a registered medicine isn't available. It covers up to 90 days' supply, or 180 days for long treatments, and ANMAT answers within 10 working days. Intermediaries can't import on a patient's behalf. See named-patient and special import and government tender supply.

Supplements

Dietary supplements (suplementos dietarios) are foods under the Argentine Food Code, so they are registered through the food authorities rather than as medicines. We help brands get supplements made under their own label by GMP-certified contract manufacturers: see nutraceutical private label.

What people in Argentina search for

Semrush data from October 2026 shows big supplement demand in Argentina: vitamin D, creatine and ashwagandha (about 60,500 searches a month each), omega-3 (49,500), vitamin B12 (40,500) and probiotics (27,100). Among medicines, ketorolac, diclofenac, loperamide, cephalexin and sertraline lead.

Argentine buyers search in Spanish: “vitamina D”, “creatina” and “ashwagandha” each get about 60,500 searches a month, followed by “omega 3” (49,500), “vitamina B12” (40,500), and “probióticos” and “colágeno” (27,100 each) (Semrush, October 2026). Medicines are typed by their Spanish generic name, such as “ketorolaco” (about 41,900 a month), “loperamida” (31,500), “cefalexina” (30,900) and “sertralina” (30,600).

How importers and distributors in Argentina search

Across ten Spanish-speaking markets combined, Argentina among them, Google Keyword Planner shows “droguería” between 100,000 and 1 million monthly searches and “distribuidora de medicamentos” and “laboratorio farmacéutico” between 1,000 and 10,000. Local versions such as “droguerías en Argentina” and “laboratorios farmacéuticos en Argentina” sit between 100 and 1,000, and English trade phrases like “private label” also appear (about 110 a month, Semrush).

The originator brand most searched by name is Ozempic (semaglutide). Brand names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the medicine.

Supplements we can help you make

The most searched medicines include ketorolac (ketorolaco, about 41,900 searches a month), diclofenac, loperamide, cephalexin and sertraline. Imports are strongest in specialised and hospital products. Some examples we list:

Documents to ask your supplier for

• A Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) in WHO format.
• The plant's GMP evidence, such as a WHO-GMP, EU-GMP or PIC/S certificate, plus any inspection by your regulator.
• The registration dossier (CTD or ACTD), with bioequivalence data for generics where required.
• Stability data for hot climates.
• A Certificate of Analysis for every batch.

Not sure a supplier is genuine? Read how to verify a pharmaceutical supplier. For the neighbouring markets, see our Latin America and Caribbean import guide.

Frequently asked questions