Portugal limits weight loss drug prescriptions to prevent misuse
As of Friday, only doctors from four medical specialties will be able to prescribe glucose sensors and drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.
Used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, the medicines help people lose weight by mimicking a hormone that makes them feel full for longer.
The injectable drugs are in high demand, though, which has led to availability problems on the market.
This is the case with Ozempic from the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk. Ozempic is only approved in Portugal to treat type 2 diabetes, but it is highly sought after for weight loss.
Mounjaro (Eli Lilly) and Wegovy (Novo Nordisk) are approved for both diabetes and obesity. In the first four months of 2025, Portuguese consumers spent around €21 million on these medicines.
Now, only doctors from the approved specialties – endocrinology and nutrition, internal medicine, paediatrics, and general and family medicine – will be able to prescribe them.
Glucose sensors have also been in high demand by non-diabetics, causing a shortage of these monitors in pharmacies. According to the Público newspaper, they are prescribed by doctors who do not work with diabetes patients, and are highly sought after by dieters, athletes, influencers, and even for use on animals.
Portugal's Ministry of Health posted the regulation in April, warning of "recent reports of improper access to and use of these same technologies, which have jeopardised their availability to those who actually need them".
"This decree aims to regulate and correct these distortions, promoting effective and adequate access to these essential health tools," the ministry said.
The president of the Portuguese Society of Diabetology (SPD) praised the measure, but says it is late and may not solve the problem of difficult access to these medicines.
"We're waiting to see if [the measure] will simplify or facilitate access," said João Raposo, speaking to the Lusa news agency.
"I personally have some doubts, because I have the idea that the number of prescriptions outside of these specialties is not significant," Raposo added.
He said that diabetics and doctors are not opposed to these drugs being used to treat obesity. But there are "anomalous prescriptions and a lack of monitoring of these people," he said.
"Health cannot be subject to the laws of the market, because we know that it is very tempting for this population, which is desperately looking for solutions. The market has worked and we shouldn't have let it happen," he added.
GLP-1 agonist medicines are reimbursed by the Portuguese state at 90 per cent. Sensor reimbursement can be as high as 85 per cent.
In addition to prescriptions, there is also a high demand for these medicines on the black market, which can lead to problems with counterfeiting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Eli Lilly hikes UK price of blockbuster weight loss drug Mounjaro
Drugmaker Eli Lilly said it will raise the price of its blockbuster weight loss drug by up to 170 per cent for customers in the United Kingdom. The US pharmaceutical giant confirmed to Euronews Health that effective September 1, the highest dose of Mounjaro will cost £330 for a month's supply, up from £122 currently. The new price is the list price, or what private providers will pay for the drug. Clinics are expected to raise their prices for patients as a result. The price hike is not expected to affect access for patients who receive Mounjaro through the National Health Service (NHS), a spokesperson for NHS England said. 'The approved list price increase will not affect NHS commissioning of [Mounjaro] in England for eligible people living with obesity, based on clinical priority, or as a treatment for type 2 diabetes,' the spokesperson told Euronews Health. The NHS England spokesperson said patients who get the drug through private doctors should contact their providers. A Lilly spokesperson said the company will work with private doctors to "maintain patient access'. Mounjaro is used to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes, and weight-related health problems in both the UK and the European Union. Rival weight loss jabs Ozempic and Wegovy, made by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, are also available. A Lilly spokesperson said the increase aims to bring Mounjaro's UK price closer to what is paid in other European countries. 'At launch, Lilly agreed to a UK list price that is significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability,' the spokesperson said. 'With changes in the environment and new clinical evidence supporting the value of Mounjaro, we are now aligning the list price more consistently to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation'. The move comes as US President Donald Trump puts pressure on pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs for Americans to a level that matches the lowest price offered in other wealthy countries. In May, Trump complained that a 'friend' of his paid significantly less for 'the fat shot' in the UK than in the United States. He later accused European countries of 'freeloading,' saying Americans pay higher prices to cover the cost of new drug development while other wealthy countries benefit. Since then, some drug companies have signaled they will attempt to align prices paid in the US and other countries. The Lilly spokesperson said the Mounjaro price increase will 'address pricing inconsistencies compared to other developed countries, including in Europe'.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- LeMonde
Trump keeps up the pressure on pharmaceutical companies amid tariff uncertainty
In recent months, pressure on pharmaceutical manufacturers has continued to mount across the Atlantic due to tariff uncertainty, demands for lower drug prices and disruptions caused by shifting policies or staff changes within US health agencies. Although laboratories remain exempt from tariffs for now, they have tried to present a relatively calm front. Still, Donald Trump's repeated attacks on the industry do little to ease concerns. The US president once again caused a stir on August 5. Speaking on CNBC, Trump reiterated his threat to raise tariffs on health products imported into the US to dramatic levels, aiming to force drug manufacturers to bring their production back onto American soil. "We'll be putting an initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years maximum, it's going to go to 150%, then it's going to go to 250%, because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country," he stated. Manufacturers − under pressure for months from the US administration to comply with Trump's demands − have already announced a series of major investments in the US since February. American laboratories such as Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead and Regeneron; Swiss companies Roche and Novartis; Japan's Takeda; France's Sanofi; and the United Kingdom's AstraZeneca have together pledged nearly $320 billion over the next five years to strengthen and expand their industrial presence in the US.
Euronews
08-08-2025
- Euronews
Portugal limits weight loss drug prescriptions to prevent misuse
Portugal is restricting doctors' ability to prescribe blockbuster weight loss drugs and monitors that track blood sugar levels, over concerns that they are being misused. As of Friday, only doctors from four medical specialties will be able to prescribe glucose sensors and drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, the medicines help people lose weight by mimicking a hormone that makes them feel full for longer. The injectable drugs are in high demand, though, which has led to availability problems on the market. This is the case with Ozempic from the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk. Ozempic is only approved in Portugal to treat type 2 diabetes, but it is highly sought after for weight loss. Mounjaro (Eli Lilly) and Wegovy (Novo Nordisk) are approved for both diabetes and obesity. In the first four months of 2025, Portuguese consumers spent around €21 million on these medicines. Now, only doctors from the approved specialties – endocrinology and nutrition, internal medicine, paediatrics, and general and family medicine – will be able to prescribe them. Glucose sensors have also been in high demand by non-diabetics, causing a shortage of these monitors in pharmacies. According to the Público newspaper, they are prescribed by doctors who do not work with diabetes patients, and are highly sought after by dieters, athletes, influencers, and even for use on animals. Portugal's Ministry of Health posted the regulation in April, warning of "recent reports of improper access to and use of these same technologies, which have jeopardised their availability to those who actually need them". "This decree aims to regulate and correct these distortions, promoting effective and adequate access to these essential health tools," the ministry said. The president of the Portuguese Society of Diabetology (SPD) praised the measure, but says it is late and may not solve the problem of difficult access to these medicines. "We're waiting to see if [the measure] will simplify or facilitate access," said João Raposo, speaking to the Lusa news agency. "I personally have some doubts, because I have the idea that the number of prescriptions outside of these specialties is not significant," Raposo added. He said that diabetics and doctors are not opposed to these drugs being used to treat obesity. But there are "anomalous prescriptions and a lack of monitoring of these people," he said. "Health cannot be subject to the laws of the market, because we know that it is very tempting for this population, which is desperately looking for solutions. The market has worked and we shouldn't have let it happen," he added. GLP-1 agonist medicines are reimbursed by the Portuguese state at 90 per cent. Sensor reimbursement can be as high as 85 per cent. In addition to prescriptions, there is also a high demand for these medicines on the black market, which can lead to problems with counterfeiting.
