Brazilian pharmaceutical manufacturer EMS has formally requested that the Foreign Trade Chamber (Camex) increase the import tariff on finished weight-loss injection pens from 7.2% to 15%. The requested 108% tax increase targets ready-to-use GLP-1 agonist medications, including treatments based on semaglutide and liraglutide imported by competitors such as Danish maker Novo Nordisk (the producer of Ozempic and Wegovy), alongside suppliers like Hypera, Sandoz, and Eurofarma. The petition was first reported by Folha de S.Paulo.

In filings submitted to federal authorities in September, EMS argued that current trade rules create an imbalance along the pharmaceutical supply chain. Finished injector pens enter Brazil under a 7.2% tariff, whereas raw materials and intermediate parts used for domestic assembly, such as plastic bodies, caps, and phenol, face import duties ranging between 12% and 18%. EMS also cited rising competition from lower-cost Indian manufacturers. The company itself, however, received a 12-month tariff waiver from the federal government in March to import injector components while developing its own semaglutide products.

EMS submitted two parallel requests to Camex: a temporary 24-month tariff increase that Brazil can enact unilaterally, and a permanent rate revision that requires approval from Mercosur trade bloc partners. The measure excludes tirzepatide treatments like Mounjaro, which remains under patent protection until 2036 and is manufactured in Brazil by Eli Lilly. Corporate data submitted to Camex show EMS revenue from injection pens surged from 61 million reais in 2025 to 425 million reais in 2026 following its semaglutide launch. The firm reports spending over 1 billion reais on a synthetic peptide facility in Hortolandia, Sao Paulo, though its current production still relies on assembled foreign inputs.

The protectionist petition drew swift pushback from pharmaceutical industry trade groups. Nelson Mussolini, executive president of the industry association Sindusfarma, publicly opposed the proposed tariff increase.

"The way to strengthen local industry is to reduce the cost of producing in Brazil, not to increase the cost for those who import. Competition on equal terms, including taxes, is healthy for the market and, above all, for the patient," Mussolini told Folha de S.Paulo.

For domestic drugmakers building local manufacturing facilities, higher import duties provide a commercial buffer against fully finished foreign alternatives. For consumers and patients, however, steeper tariffs on imported medications threaten to lift out-of-pocket costs at retail pharmacies. While Brazilian regulators set maximum price caps for prescription drugs, GLP-1 pens typically sell below those ceilings, discounts that could narrow if import levies double.