Expenditures on medicines in hospitals exceeded 1,760 million euros last year

Drug spending in NHS hospitals in 2022 exceeded €1,760 million, up 12.1% from the previous year, with the amount spent on psychopharmaceuticals doubling to €35 million.

According to Infarmed’s report on drug consumption monitoring in hospitals last year, spending in SNS hospitals reached 1,762.1 million euros (ME), which is 190.9 million more (+12.1%) than in the same period.

The therapeutic areas with the highest spending were oncology, with 549.9 IU, an increase of 47.7 IU (+9.5%), followed by amyloidosis (a rare disease) from 57.2 IU, an increase of 20.6 IU (+56 %). At 35.4 IU, psychopharmaceuticals became the third therapeutic area with the highest spending growth, with an additional cost of 18.6 million (+111%) over the previous year.

The drugs with the largest increase in spending were for HIV drugs (lamivudine + dolutegravir), which cost hospitals SNS 33.4 IU, more than three times the costs (+238%; +23.5 million), tafamidis (amyloidosis), the value of which doubled to 35.7. million (+18.3 IU) and pembrolizumab (for various types of cancer), which cost 59.5 IU, up 17.2 million (+40.4%) from the previous year.

A report from the National Medicines and Health Products Authority indicates that last year the Lisbon and Tagus region was the region with the highest growth in hospital costs (+100 ME), followed by the Nordic region (+55 ME). ).

In terms of spending by service sector, external consultations and goods shipped abroad lead with 789.1 million (+11%), followed by day hospitals (638.1 IU; +14%), hospitalization (170 IU; + 9.7%) and operating from 42.7 million (+2.45). In additional diagnostics, hospitals spent 31 million on medicines and 20.8 million on emergency care.

The therapeutic classes with the highest spending in SNA hospitals were immunomodulators, which cost more than 553 million euros (+9.7%), antivirals, which cost more than 217 IU (+4.9%), and cytotoxic drugs, which cost public hospitals amounted to more than 210 million euros. (+6.2%).

The actives with the highest cost to SNS hospitals were Normal human immunoglobulin (62.4 IU; +18.5%), pembrolizumab (for various types of cancer), where more than 59.4 million (+40.7%) and ustekinumab (for Crohn’s disease). ), with a consumption of 37.3 IU (17.3%).

SNA hospitals spent €286.4 million on orphan drugs (for the treatment of rare diseases) last year, up 34.3% (+73.1 IU) over the same period last year.

In March, Infarmed already reported that National Health Service (SNS) spending on outpatient medicines in 2022 grew the most in the last nine years, exceeding 1,567 million euros (+9.6%), while user spending increased by 7.4%. . .

According to data from the National Medicines and Health Products Administration, SNS drug spending reached 1,567.6 IU last year, up 137.3 million from 2021, and user spending exceeded 816 IU, up 56 million. than for the same period last year.