Widespread Barriers to Health Innovation Access in Portugal

Health innovation access in Portugal is widely viewed as inadequate, with 80% of patient associations rating it as reasonable or poor. Only 14% say most relevant innovations reach patients without significant restrictions, according to a Medjournal.pt investigation.

The gaps are most acute in pharmaceuticals (35%), biologics and immunotherapy (33%), and targeted therapies (31.7%). These limitations translate into real harm: 86.7% of associations report quality-of-life declines, 76.7% note clinical deterioration, and 75% cite postponed treatments.

Low Engagement in Formal Assessment

Although 83.3% of groups know about INFARMED’s INCLUIR initiative, only 25% have participated in health technology assessment (HTA) processes. Those who did participate gave the standardised questionnaire a modest score, signalling clear room for procedural simplification and better support.

Territorial inequalities, slow evaluation timelines, narrow eligibility criteria, and weak public-private coordination form a consistent pattern of obstruction. Health innovation access barriers directly correlate with measurable declines in patient outcomes across multiple disease areas.

Priorities for Faster, Fairer Uptake

Associations overwhelmingly rank accelerated evaluation and funding as the top improvement needed, followed by deeper patient involvement in decisions. Additional priorities include clinician education, better patient information, nationwide harmonisation of criteria, and stronger integration between public and private providers.

Reforming HTA to Deliver Results

Embedding patient advocacy voices earlier in the new national HTA system (SINATS) can shorten assessment times, reduce unwarranted variation, and align coverage more closely with real-world needs. For HEOR professionals, the data highlight the value of incorporating standardised patient-reported metrics on health innovation access into future value assessments, supporting faster reimbursement and more equitable outcomes for Portuguese patients.