Supplying Medicines and Supplements to Chile

Chile is one of the more open markets in Latin America. A registration can be held by a Chilean or foreign person or company, as long as it's properly represented and domiciled in Chile, and foreign suppliers can register on the public procurement platform.

Chileans also search for medicines and supplements in remarkable numbers for a country of about 20 million people. The thing to plan for is time: the ISP has up to six months to decide, and the 2025 fast track covers new and biological products, not generics.

Chile at a glance

How to supply medicines to Chile

1. Set up representation. Hold the registration through a representative domiciled in Chile, or work with a Chilean importer that holds it for you.
2. Get the plant's GMP certificate. The ISP asks for an official GMP certificate from the plant's own regulator. Keep your GMP evidence up to date.
3. Register the product. A CTD dossier with a CoPP. Allow up to six months; new and biological products approved by two reference regulators can use the 2025 reliance route.
4. Supply. Pharmacy chains and distributors, or public purchases on Mercado Público. CENABAST buys a large share of its imports through PAHO: 61% in 2022.

Chile allows exceptional authorisations for emergencies, urgent need without alternatives, and research. The ISP has also clarified that companies can import unregistered medicines in bulk to address shortages. See named-patient and special import and government tender supply.

Supplements

Food supplements are foods under Chile's Food Sanitary Regulation and are overseen by the regional health authorities (SEREMI de Salud), not the ISP. A supplement whose label or advertising suggests a therapeutic effect can be reclassified as a medicine. We help brands get supplements made under their own label by GMP-certified contract manufacturers: see nutraceutical private label.

What people in Chile search for

Semrush data from October 2026 shows very strong demand in Chile: creatine (about 90,500 searches a month), ashwagandha (74,000), vitamin D and omega-3 (60,500 each), protein (49,500) and probiotics (40,500). Among medicines, prednisone, celecoxib, domperidone, pregabalin and diclofenac lead.

Chileans search in Spanish: “creatina” gets about 90,500 searches a month, “vitamina D” 60,500, “proteína” 49,500, “probióticos” 40,500 and “creatina monohidratada” 33,100 (Semrush, October 2026). Medicines are typed by their Spanish generic name, such as “prednisona” (about 74,200 a month), “domperidona” (60,120), “pregabalina” (55,700) and “diclofenaco” (41,900).

How importers and distributors in Chile search

Across ten Spanish-speaking markets combined, Chile 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, with “laboratorios farmacéuticos en Chile” and “proveedor de medicamentos” between 100 and 1,000. Contract manufacturing is searched locally as “laboratorio maquila chile” (about 20 a month, Semrush).

Originator brands searched by name include Jardiance (empagliflozin), Ozempic (semaglutide), Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) and Forxiga (dapagliflozin). 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 prednisone (prednisona, about 74,200 a month), celecoxib, domperidone, pregabalin, diclofenac, loratadine and metoclopramide. 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