Supplying Medicines and Supplements to Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the friendliest markets in Central America for products already approved abroad. Since 2022 it has recognised registrations from ICH-member regulators, such as the FDA, EMA, Health Canada, Swissmedic, PMDA, ANVISA and COFEPRIS, with a decision within 30 calendar days.

A competition law published in February 2026 widens recognition to WHO-listed authorities and PAHO reference regulators, and allows parallel imports. The social security fund, CCSS, is one of the region's biggest single buyers, and foreign firms can bid without a local entity.

Costa Rica at a glance

How to supply medicines to Costa Rica

1. Arrange local representation. Apply through a locally represented applicant with a responsible professional.
2. Pick the route. If an ICH-member regulator, or under the 2026 law a WHO-listed authority or PAHO reference regulator, has approved the product, use recognition. Otherwise, use the standard route.
3. Prepare the dossier. A CTD dossier with a CoPP and the plant's GMP evidence.
4. Supply. Private distributors and pharmacies, or CCSS tenders on SICOP, open to foreign firms without a local entity.

Only the social security fund (CCSS) and other state bodies can acquire unregistered medicines, for urgency or public need. See named-patient and special import and government tender supply.

Supplements

Supplements (suplementos a la dieta) need a sanitary registration from the Ministry of Health under the national technical regulation RTCR 436:2009. We help brands get supplements made under their own label by GMP-certified contract manufacturers: see nutraceutical private label.

What people in Costa Rica search for

Semrush data from October 2026 shows that people in Costa Rica search most for vitamin D and creatine (about 6,600 searches a month each), vitamin B12 (4,400) and creatine monohydrate (3,600). Among medicines, prednisone, famotidine, prednisolone, loratadine and metoclopramide lead.

Costa Ricans search in Spanish: “vitamina D” and “creatina” get about 6,600 searches a month each, “vitamina B12” 4,400, “creatina monohidratada” 3,600, and “colágeno hidrolizado” and “vitamina C” 2,400 each (Semrush, October 2026). Medicines are typed by their Spanish generic name, such as “prednisona” (about 19,010 a month), “famotidina” (11,960), “prednisolona” (10,880) and “loratadina” (8,100).

How importers and distributors in Costa Rica search

Across seven Central American and Caribbean markets combined, Costa Rica among them, Google Keyword Planner shows “droguería” between 1,000 and 10,000 monthly searches, and “distribuidora de medicamentos”, “laboratorio farmacéutico” and “registro sanitario de medicamentos” between 100 and 1,000.

Originator brands searched by name include Daflon (diosmin and hesperidin), Forxiga (dapagliflozin), Nexium (esomeprazole), Voltaren (diclofenac) and Plavix (clopidogrel). 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 19,000 a month), famotidine, prednisolone, loratadine, metoclopramide and omeprazole. 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