“Portugal has dispatched, on October 7, 2025, vials of injectable Fomepizole to the Federative Republic of Brazil, a crucial medicine for treating patients affected by methanol poisoning in various regions of the country,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a communiqué about an operation that also involved the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health’s General Secretariat, INFARMED, and the Camões Institute.
While the number of vials was not specified, the Portuguese government expressed hope that “the donation will help to overcome the public health emergency situation faced by the CPLP member state and, above all, reduce the number of fatalities.”
The Portuguese assistance follows a request made at the end of last week by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), which reached out to various international authorities to secure the methanol antidote.
The latest update confirms three deaths, with over a dozen more unconfirmed, all in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.
The third death was confirmed on Monday by the São Bernardo municipal authorities in São Paulo, announcing the death of a 30-year-old woman after consuming methanol-contaminated vodka.
The Ministry of Health reported that, as of Monday, Brazil had recorded 217 notifications of methanol poisoning following alcohol consumption. Of these, 17 were confirmed, and 200 remain under investigation.
São Paulo accounts for 82.49% of the notifications, with 15 confirmed cases and 164 under investigation. In addition to São Paulo, Paraná has two confirmed cases, and 12 other states have reported cases under investigation.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health announced the establishment of a Situation Room to monitor methanol poisoning cases following the consumption of alcoholic beverages and coordinate the necessary measures.
The issue revolves around the falsification of alcoholic beverages for sale.
In an interview with TV Brasil, the communication director of the Brazilian Association for Combatting Falsification (ABCF) stated that methanol, imported by organized crime to adulterate fuels, may have been diverted to beverage distributors, causing the recent poisoning cases in São Paulo.
This situation intensified following Operation Hidden Carbon, which in August dismantled a fraud and money laundering scheme in the fuel sector.
With companies and transporters linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) interdicted, the methanol was also diverted to illegal distilleries, the official reported.
Starting in September, “intoxicated patients reported a history of consuming distilled beverages at social drinking scenes, including bars and various types of drinks such as gin, whisky, and vodka,” stated the Brazilian government.
