According to data from the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF), based on information from Health Market Research (HMR), the “significant growth” in 2025 was “mainly driven by the entry of Mounjaro and Wegovy” into the Portuguese market.

Growing demand

Data released by the Lusa news agency on the occasion of World Obesity Day, celebrated on 4 March, show a growing demand for these drugs since 2019, when 45,787 packages were sold, reaching 572,256 in 2025.

In 2020, 46,500 (+1.6%) packages were sold, rising to 55,173 (+18.7%) in 2021, 60,259 (+9.2%) in 2022, 82,513 (+36.9%) in 2023, 119,588 (+44.9%) in 2024, and reaching 572,256 (+378.5%) last year.

Currently, medications containing Orlistat, Mysimba (bupropion + naltrexone), Saxenda (liraglutide), Wegovy (semaglutide), and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are available in Portugal for the treatment of obesity.

The National Association of Pharmacies notes that Mounjaro has therapeutic indications for type 2 diabetes mellitus and weight control.

Reimbursement demanded

The reimbursement of these drugs has been demanded by specialists, doctors, and patient associations, who defend their importance in combating obesity.

Another treatment strategy is bariatric/metabolic surgery, whose activity increased in the National Health Service in 2025.

According to data from the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (SNS), 4,005 surgeries were performed in 2025, 312 more than in 2024 (3,693) and 581 more compared to 2023 (3,424).

Surgery waiting time

The average waiting time for surgery was 4.75 months, according to the data, which also indicates that, at the end of 2025, 1,811 patients were on the waiting list for surgery.

The law establishes that surgeries with normal priority must be performed within a maximum period of six months (180 days).

In statements to Lusa, the president of the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (SPEDM), Paula Freitas, stated that "the surgical treatment centres for obesity are functioning better and better," but the demand remains very high.

She exemplified this at the centre where she works, ULS São João: around a thousand patients are operated on per year, but the waiting list is long because there are “many, many patients needing a surgical solution.”

Furthermore, the endocrinologist explained, many of them need pharmacological treatment before and after surgery.

Complex disease

The specialist reinforced that “obesity is a chronic, very complex disease,” in which patients will need all available strategies throughout their lives.

“Fortunately, we now have good strategies, and we hope to have even better ones in the future,” with the evolution of surgery and drugs, said Paula Freitas, arguing that “many tools are needed to try to treat this very serious pathology that causes so much death.”

Regarding the new drugs, the specialist said that “they are very effective” in treating these patients, defending the importance of them being subsidised.

Regarding the high price of these medications, Paula Freitas stated that "often" the cost must be viewed as an investment.

"It's true that for some people there is complete inaccessibility, but for others, it can be seen as an investment in health gains and prolonging their lives," she emphasised.

The specialist admits, however, that obesity is more prevalent in the most disadvantaged social classes and, for many, access will not be possible.

"That is why we also fight for greater accessibility for patients who have obesity and need it, regardless of their socioeconomic status," argued the president of SPEDM.