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Objectives. To describe the new drugs marketed in Brazil during the period 2000-2004, compare Conclusions. A mismatch occurs between public health needs and the new drugs launched on the Brazilian market. Not only did the number of new drugs decrease in the study period, but only a few were actually new in therapeutic terms. Developing countries must acquire expertise in research and development to strengthen their capacity to innovate and produce the drugs they need.New drugs, drugs of interest in public health, pharmaceutical drug trade, innovation, pharmacoepidemiology, Brazil. ABSTRACTResearch and development (R&D) are essential to generating health products that combat diseases. R&D conducted by the pharmaceutical industry addresses the needs of wealthier countries, but all too often, underprivileged populations in poorer areas of the world have few or no treatment options and restricted access to treatments that do exist. The power held by the pharmaceutical industry is, to varying degrees, lost when the market is insufficiently wide or steady, or when effective public policies are not in place to promote R&D. Given this context, the current situation regarding the launching of new drugs needs to be acknowledged and addressed by policymakers, managers, and researchers in public and private institutions alike, if availability for actual public health needs is to be improved.

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