OBJECTIVES: To perform Cost Minimization Analysis (AMC) of the Therapeutic Equivalent Alternatives (ATE) of the pharmacotherapeutic form of an important hospital in Belo Horizonte/MG, to demonstrate that the adoption of drugs considered as ATE promotes significant reduction in the costs of purchasing the medicines included in the hospital form.

METHODS: The study was divided in two stages: 1) Study of the evidence of the 79 drugs considered ATE by the hospital of the research, with search in the literature in the data sources: Micromedex, Ministry of Health - ANVISA, Pubmed, Lilacs, The Cochrane Library and GENESIS Group, from the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy - SEFH. The parameters used for the analysis of the evidence were the following: Therapeutic similarity of drugs proven by the literature; Tolerability; No inferiority in clinical response in the population; Power and dosage adjustment; Acceptable adverse reactions. ; 2) ATE AMC who have comparative studies of therapeutic equivalence. Calculation of the variation of expenditures (in $Reais) of ATE acquisition, based on the average of national prices registered in the Chamber of Medicinal Products (CMED), according to the average monthly consumption (CMM) of the hospital and the daily dose defined (DDD) , for each group analyzed.

RESULTS: Of the 79 pharmaceutical specialties identified as ATE, 55.7% had scientific studies supporting therapeutic equivalence with potential for interchangeability. The difference in monthly acquisition costs for 16 ATE groups analyzed, represented a reduction of 34.25% in the purchase of medicines.

CONCLUSIONS: In public health, this type of analysis can play a fundamental role in the periodic analysis of the Rational Drug Use Policy, seeking the best way to economize with drug acquisition, promoting the adoption of equivalent therapeutic alternatives(ATE) and the possibility of price regulation, especially in the process called "health judicialization phenomenon", which has been occurring in Brazil.