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Uruguay’s health system adds 12 medicines that once cost up to $100,000, making them available for about $300
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Health & Science

Uruguay’s health system adds 12 medicines that once cost up to $100,000, making them available for about $300

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Uruguay’s Public Health Ministry and mutual insurance providers agreed to add 12 medicines to the national therapeutic formulary between September and November.
  • The medicines, which previously cost users up to 100,000 pesos, will be available through providers at about 300 pesos, according to the announcement.
  • The additions cover conditions including chronic kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes, COPD, endometriosis, hepatitis B and serious infections.

Uruguay is set to make 12 medicines available through its mutual insurance system at a fraction of their previous cost. Some had cost users as much as 100,000 pesos, but will now be acquired for around 300 pesos.

President Yamandú Orsi and Public Health Minister Cristina Lustemberg announced the agreement with the national coordinator of mutual insurance providers, Conaiamc, at the Torre Ejecutiva. The medicines will enter the Therapeutic Medicines Formulary in three stages from September through November.

Access to medicines is expanding, without increasing health-insurance fees or overall spending.

— Yamandú OrsiUruguay’s president described the financial terms of the agreement with mutual insurance providers.

The first stage will add five drugs. They include gliflozins, such as empagliflozin and dapagliflozin, for chronic kidney disease, heart failure and type 2 diabetes; tiotropium for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and Gel Lat, a local anesthetic for superficial wounds before suturing. Oral labetalol will cover hypertension during pregnancy, while nicotine patches and gum will become available across all levels of care, with prescribing expanded to general practitioners and specialists.

We are announcing to citizens the incorporation of 12 medicines that affect thousands and thousands of people.

— Cristina LustembergThe health minister presented the planned additions to the therapeutic formulary.

Four medicines will follow in October: dienogest for endometriosis, oral fosfomycin for uncomplicated acute cystitis and prophylaxis after transrectal prostate biopsy, piperacillin/tazobactam for preventing serious hospital infections, and cinacalcet for primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Tenofovir, linezolid and tigecycline will be added in November.

Orsi said the agreement would expand access “without increasing health-insurance fees or overall spending.” Lustemberg described the medicines as first-line treatments that could improve the quality of life of thousands of people. Alfredo Torres, who led Conaiamc until Friday, said the mutual providers had agreed to assume the costs.

It is an effort the institutions will make by assuming the costs.

— Alfredo TorresThe former head of Conaiamc described the providers’ commitment during negotiations with health authorities.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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