BackgroundRare diseases affect a small number of people compared to prevalent diseases' estimates. The vast majority of these diseases are of genetic origin, have no cure, are chronic and can lead to death. Although the right to access to medicines is included in the constitutionally guaranteed right to health in Brazil, problems in the supply of medicines for rare diseases are reported in the country. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe and analyze the initiatives to promote access to medicines for treating rare diseases in Unified Health System, Brazil, after the publication of the National Policy on Comprehensive Care of People with Rare Diseases.MethodsBased on the model published by The WHO Regional Office for Europe, which described access to medicines in pre-launch, per-launch and post-launch policies, the initiatives referring to each category were summarized, based on documentary research searched in online databases, in the period from January 2014 to December 2020. ResultsDifferent actions and policy interventions were identified, which went through the expansion of resources for research and development, health regulations, incorporation of new drugs, review and publication of clinical guidelines, expansion of the network of care facilities by the Ministry of Health. On the other hand, aspects related to care policies, pricing methods, technological development, and development of pharmaceutical services processes were not implemented. ConclusionsAlthough it is impossible to determine the explicit motivation of such actions concerning the Policy, its publication certainly was a landmark in Brazilian society, allowing greater recognition of the needs of rare diseases patients and the treatment's specificities. However, the study suggests that the steps that make up the life cycle of medicines are not linked, lacking articulation and integration of the care network and, consequently, there is no evidence that the rare diseases policy publication has generated broad impact on the promotion of access to medicines to treat rare diseases in Brazil.