Thus, for the first time, the €2.5 billion threshold was exceeded.

According to reports on drug expenditure for 2025, which Lusa had access to, hospitals spent €2.523.2 million on medicines, €254 million (+11.2%) more than in the previous year, when expenditure recorded the largest percentage increase ever (+15.8%).

In the first quarter of this year alone, hospital expenditure on medicines reached €693.4 million, an increase of 7.6% compared to the same period last year, which Infarmed says reflects access to innovative therapies.

From the total value of public service spending on medicines, contributions and reimbursements to the SNS by the pharmaceutical industry will be deducted, whether under financing contracts or under the Agreement with the Pharmaceutical Industry.

In outpatient care, the SNS spent €1,893.8 million on co-payments for medicines last year, an increase of 12.4% (+208.4 million), in a year in which 203.9 million packages were dispensed.

Antidiabetic drugs are the medicines with the highest co-payment costs, with an expenditure of around €478.9 million (+14.7% compared to 2024).

By active substance, Apixaban, to prevent the formation of blood clots, registered the largest increase in spending, rising 70.9% to €66.6 million.

In hospitals, by international common denominator, immunomodulatory drugs – which alter the immune system's response – saw the largest increase in expenditure, with an additional €78.3 million, followed by cytotoxic drugs (+€33.4 million) and other drugs acting on the central nervous system (+€32.8 million).

By therapeutic area, oncology, which accounts for more than a third of hospital drug spending, had the highest expenditure, at €864.5 million (+16%). This was followed by HIV (€238.2 million) and rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis (€186.5 million).

Vaccines were the therapeutic area with the largest annual variation in expenditure, rising 69.8% to €85.5 million.

Hospital spending on orphan drugs for rare diseases rose by 34.1% to €465 million.