Between the court and the clinic: lawsuits for medicines and the right to health in Brazil.

The Brazilian Constitution states: "Health is the right of all persons and the duty of the State." Yet individuals in Brazil frequently face barriers to health prevention and treatment. One response to these barriers has been a "judicialization" of the right to health, with an increasing number of patients suing the government for access to medicines.This study uses a mixed methods approach to identify trends in lawsuits for medicines in the...