Lisbon, Nov. 14, 2025 (Lusa) - For the first time, medicines considered essential and critical will be exempt from the annual price review, to mitigate possible shortages and ensure that they are sustainable, Infarmed president Rui Ivo announced to Lusa on Friday.
The measure is included in the Annual Price Review (RAP) ordinance, which extends the exemption from price rises to medicines with a retail price of up to €30, instead of €16 last year.
"This measure aims to protect the lowest-cost medicines so that they can be available and, at the same time, it will bring savings for the State," estimated at around €50 million, a sum that can be invested in access to therapeutic innovation and in the sustainability of the SNS, emphasised Rui Santos Ivo.
These include medicines that are widely used in Portugal, such as Metformin (anti-diabetic) and Paracetamol (analgesic), according to the National Medicines Authority (Infarmed).
In the hospital market, medicines up to €75, such as Docetaxel, used in oncology, and sodium chloride, will continue to be exempt from review; above that value, there will be no limit on price reductions.
Medicines such as injectable Azithromycin (antibacterial) and Valproic acid (anti-epileptic) will be exempt from the list of essential medicines.
Rui Santos Ivo explained that the annual price review of medicines is an instrument used every year to "support the control of spending on medicines and, at the same time, update the price of medicines in the light of the countries with which Portugal compares itself: Spain, France, Italy and Belgium".
This measure, he emphasised, reduces medicine prices in a controlled way, ensuring no disruptive changes that jeopardise market stability.
At the same time, it maintains the conditions for the pharmaceutical industry to continue investing in Portugal. It allows access to therapeutic innovation, which is essential for both users and the SNS, he emphasised.
As the most important aspect of the RAP, Rui Ivo pointed to the availability of medicines, saying that, to this end, the lowest-priced medicines (up to €30), which are often in short supply, will be exempt from increases, creating better conditions for their availability on the market.
Medicines priced above €30 will not be compared to the average in Spain, France, Italy and Belgium, he said, explaining that if the price in Portugal is higher, it can be reduced. Still, the maximum reduction will be 20%.
Regarding the hospital market, Rui Ivo said that medicines priced over €75 are also subject to comparison with the four reference countries. Still, in this case, the comparison is based on the lowest price.
He also emphasised that, in 2026, "the rule of exemption from the price review of generic and biosimilar medicines will be maintained to provide market conditions that stimulate the entry of new generic and biosimilar medicines with the consequent generation of savings both for citizens' pockets and for the SNS".
According to the text of the Ministry of Health decree, to which Lusa has had access, "the annual price review process results in a benefit for the state and for citizens, allowing for the sustainability of public spending, a reduction in spending for people and the fight against shortages of medicines, which are the reasons behind the importance of adopting this measure".
The document maintains the exceptional criteria to be applied in the price review regime for 2026, "taking into account the current national and international economic situation", as was the case this year.
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