“It must be evaluated by experts and be within the guidelines defined by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) for situations considered serious, where it is proven that there is cost-effectiveness,” said Ana Paula Martins, speaking to journalists after being vaccinated against flu and Covid-19 at a pharmacy in Porto Salvo, in the municipality of Oeiras.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended for the first time the expanded use of a class of drugs used in diabetes and weight loss to treat obesity, which affects one billion people worldwide.
The WHO advocates that these treatments, used to treat diabetes and obesity, should be universally and financially accessible.
“It is a recommendation that both Infarmed, through the experts who evaluate medicines and their implications, and the Directorate-General for Health, which looks at integrated care processes in the field of obesity, will naturally take into account, within what are the technical indications and the needs of people living with obesity who need special attention,” said the minister.
Also questioned by journalists, the Director-General for Health, Rita Sá Machado, reminded that the DGS has already developed a care pathway for people with obesity and that there is already a governmental order that opens the possibility of the reimbursement of drugs for obesity, noting that Infarmed is conducting a study on the matter.
“This approach is being studied by Infarmed (…) and we have to wait. (…) Everything we do has to be very considered, ensuring not only what is best for citizens but also what is public sustainability,” she said.
[News updated at 10:58 AM]
