CNAE codes for pharmacies, drugstores and compounding pharmacies in Brazil
The main CNAE code for pharmacies in Brazil is 4771-7/01 – Comércio varejista de produtos farmacêuticos, sem manipulação de fórmulas (Pharmacies without compounding). Compounding pharmacies use 4771-7/02, homeopathic 4771-7/03, perfumeries 4772-5/00 and drug distributors 4644-3/01. To prospect this segment, search codes 4771-7/01, 4771-7/02, 4771-7/03, 4772-5/00, 4644-3/01 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for pharmacies
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by pharmacies:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
4771-7/01 | Comércio varejista de produtos farmacêuticos, sem manipulação de fórmulas | Pharmacies without compounding | Pharmacies and drugstores |
4771-7/02 | Comércio varejista de produtos farmacêuticos, com manipulação de fórmulas | Compounding pharmacies | Compounding pharmacies |
4771-7/03 | Comércio varejista de produtos farmacêuticos homeopáticos | Homeopathic pharmacies | Homeopathic pharmacies |
4772-5/00 | Comércio varejista de cosméticos, produtos de perfumaria e de higiene pessoal | Retail of cosmetics, perfumery and personal care | Perfumeries and cosmetics stores |
4644-3/01 | Comércio atacadista de medicamentos e drogas de uso humano | Wholesale of medicines for human use | Pharmaceutical distributors |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many pharmacies register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Drugstores often declare perfumery and cosmetics (4772-5/00) as secondary. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to pharmacies
Pharmacies have high daily sales, broad ranges and many independent stores.
- Hygiene, cosmetics, supplement and dermocosmetic brands
- Pharmaceutical distributors
- POS, inventory and loyalty systems
- Card machines and payments
- Compounding supplies and equipment
How to build a list of pharmacies in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
4771-7/01and add4771-7/02,4771-7/03,4772-5/00,4644-3/01depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). Independent pharmacies are usually ME or EPP; chains have dozens of branches and central purchasing.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "dermocosmetics brand looking for independent pharmacies in Pernambuco". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Independent pharmacy (no branches): the owner decides.
- Compounding (4771-7/02): specific supply and equipment purchases.
- Recently opened pharmacy: building its range and choosing distributors.
How to approach this segment
Independent pharmacies compete with big chains. Show margin, turnover and sales support (staff training, point-of-sale material).
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a pharmacy in Brazil?
4771-7/01 (no compounding); compounding pharmacies use 4771-7/02.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.