In a statement, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (SPEDM) also considers that, while there are restrictions on access to the drug due to the amount available, patients with a diagnosis of diabetes should come first.

“Under current conditions, SPEDM understands that this drug should not be prescribed as if the patient were diabetic. In addition, while there are restrictions on access to the drug due to the amount available, patients diagnosed with diabetes should be privileged”.

This position by SPEDM comes after the controversy over access to this drug - which is approved for diabetes, but as it mimics the hormones that regulate the feeling of satiety, it helps weight loss -, whose demand has skyrocketed recently, making it more difficult for diabetic patients to access.

SPEDM recalls that, in Portugal, this medicine is only available in the appropriate dose for the treatment of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and that “it is for these patients that its reimbursement is foreseen”.

They state that they have already shown willingness to collaborate with health authorities, “in order to find a better solution for the management of this problem, in order to maintain the necessary accessibility to innovative treatments by patients”.