From February 19, 2027, the Portuguese state will cover 15% of the cost of prescription weight-loss medications. The subsidy will be available only to patients enrolled in a dedicated treatment programme at a public hospital. This is set out in a Health Ministry order published on October 22.
Patients will have to pay the remaining 85% themselves. According to calculations by Infarmed, Portugal’s medicines regulator, a year of treatment with Wegovy will cost patients €2,241.52, with the state contributing an additional €395.56, JN reports. It is not yet clear which medications will be included in the programme, as manufacturers must submit applications to Infarmed. The drugs potentially covered include Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda. Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy, already qualifies for a 90% subsidy, but only for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Prescriptions must be issued by an endocrinologist, general practitioner or paediatrician who is part of a hospital-based multidisciplinary obesity team (EMO) within the patient’s local health unit (ULS). Patients must also work with a dietitian and psychologist and follow a physical activity plan. A prescription from a family doctor or a private clinic will not qualify for the subsidy. The discounted medication can be purchased at any regular pharmacy, but only by users registered with the National Health Service (SNS).
Under the health authority’s guidelines, medication is generally prescribed to patients with a BMI of 35 or higher and at least one weight-related health condition, provided that 12 months of non-drug treatment have failed to produce results. The subsidy is granted for 12 months from the first purchase, with renewal depending on the treatment outcomes.
Doctors have criticised the restrictions. Nuno Jacinto, head of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF), warned that many local health units lack sufficient endocrinologists and general practitioners, and that hospital clinics could be “swamped by thousands of patients”. Private hospitals have called the order discriminatory and are demanding that they be allowed to participate in the programme.
Referrals to hospital obesity clinics are usually made by a family doctor at a local health centre (centro de saúde). If you do not yet have an SNS user number or are not registered with a health centre, it is worth sorting this out in advance.
