Portugal will subsidise 15% of obesity medications

According to the decree that defines the special regime for public availability of medications intended for the treatment of obesity, to be entitled to co-payment for these drugs, users must be monitored at the Non-Surgical Hospital Care Unit of the Multidisciplinary Obesity Team (EMO) of the respective Local Health Unit (ULS), integrated into a multidisciplinary approach model that includes physical activity planning and nutritional and psychological intervention.

Users must have an active medical record in accordance with the Integrated Care Pathway for People with Obesity (PCIPO), defined last year as one of the National Program for the Prevention and Management of Obesity (PNPGO) 's central measures, coordinated by the Secretariat.

Under the ordinance, the medications in question are eligible for co-payment (level D) only if prescribed by specialist physicians in endocrinology, internal medicine, or paediatrics who are part of the Hospital Care Unit of the EMO of the respective ULS.