Portugal cancer drug delays reach 926 days, EU average 655

Portugal cancer drug delays average 926 days from European approval to a patient’s first prescription. That exceeds two and a half years and the 655-day average for the European Union. An integrated analysis of the oncology patient journey presented the figures in Lisbon on 29 September 2026. The analysis draws on dozens of studies and points to access to innovation as a critical stage in the pathway.

The findings were released at the 1st Inizio Engage Forum, held at the Lisbon City Council’s social services building under the theme “Innovation, Access and Care in the Cancer Patient’s Journey”. The meeting brought clinicians, patients, caregivers and industry together to examine shortfalls in the oncology pathway.

Portugal cancer drug delays: 926 days from approval to patient

The integrated analysis of the oncology patient journey in Portugal reports an average wait of 926 days between European approval and the medicine reaching the patient. For the European Union as a whole, the equivalent figure is 655 days. A medicine approved centrally by the European Medicines Agency must still clear national pricing and reimbursement before a Portuguese patient can receive a prescription.

What Infarmed approved between 2020 and 2025

Between 2020 and 2025, 57 oncology medicine procedures were submitted to Infarmed, Portugal’s medicines regulator. Of those, 26 new drugs were approved and 37 early access programmes were set up. The analysis presents the approvals alongside the waiting times: a product can be authorised in Portugal and still take years to appear in a hospital pharmacy.

Availability of innovative oncology medicines

Measured over 2021 to 2024, the availability rate of innovative oncology medicines in Portugal was 61%. The average across the EU27 was 51%. Portugal performs above the European average on this measure, which sits alongside the 926-day figure and suggests the delay centres on the time to first patient rather than the number of products eventually made available.

Half of patients have gone without medication

The problems reported by patients extend beyond the arrival of new products. Among patients surveyed, 50.8% said they had already been left without medication at least once, with stock ruptures named among the main reasons. The analysis also identifies an average distance of 56 kilometres, measured as a return trip, between a patient’s home and the place where the medication is collected.

Patients and doctors read the waiting time differently

Patient experience and clinical perception diverge on the interval between diagnosis and the start of treatment. The period most often reported by patients is two to four weeks. Doctors describe periods that can reach eight weeks. At the same time, 87.8% of patients feel they took part, fully or partly, in the decisions about their treatment. The analysis reads this as growing participation by the person with the disease in decisions about their own care.

Psychological support, information and rehabilitation

The analysis shows that the cancer journey does not end with diagnosis and treatment. The supports that patients and caregivers most often say they lack are psychological support (38.6%), clear information about the disease (38.6%), physiotherapy and rehabilitation (34.1%), patient groups (32.9%) and social and financial support (31.4%). Psychological support ranks as a high-priority need that is not provided consistently across the country.

Nutrition is named as another gap. According to the data presented, only half of patients have structured nursing support to help them stay on treatment. Patient associations carry part of the load: 57.1% of patients say they have already turned to an association or a support line.

Inequalities begin before diagnosis

The data sit against a wider picture in which cancer is the second cause of death in Portugal, accounting for 23% of deaths, with an estimated 69,500 new cases a year. Inequalities appear before diagnosis. Of the three population-based cancer screening programmes in the country, two have not yet reached the national target of 90% population coverage. The analysis identifies regional differences in both coverage and adherence to screening.

Source: Jornal de Notícias, 29 September 2026