title: [The judicialisation of health as a means ensuring access to medicines].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A systematic review, focusing on the judicialisation of health regarding gaining access to medicines, was aimed at understanding the impact of lawsuits on the organisation of public health services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Original articles published between 2007 and 2011 in the pertinent national and international literature were analysed, resulting in 49,239 articles being found in Science Direct and BIREME databases. Results The survey indicated a predominance of literature from Brazil, mainly the southeast, as well as a study from Colombia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The aforementioned chronic disease-related claims involved diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Forming part of specific Unified Healthcare System programmes highlighted the difficulty in gaining access to the appropriate medicine and consequent health judicialisation demonstrated the fragility of existing public policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that the courts (despite being a strategy for ensuring access to medicine) were unable to deal with the current spate of lawsuits, thereby leading to disruption regarding the flow of public systems.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Luana Couto Assis
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Leitão
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Mônica Oliveira da S
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Andrezza Eliab Oliveira
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Bruna Costa
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Igor Carvalho
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brasil, moscg@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Marlla Emanuella Barreto
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pinto
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003105:Colombia; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*