Portugal Medicines Reserve: Strengthening Health System Resilience

The Portuguese Government has approved the establishment of a national and regional strategic reserve of medicines and medical devices under the Portugal Transformation, Recovery and Resilience (PTRR) plan, involving an investment of 70 million euros. This measure, announced by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, addresses previous calls from the Order of Pharmacists to strengthen resilience against catastrophes, pandemics, and supply chain interruptions through centralized acquisition, storage, and continuous monitoring. The initiative also encompasses national planning for critical therapies and patient monitoring to maintain healthcare continuity during disruptions. The Portugal Medicines Reserve represents a proactive step toward safeguarding public health.

Dynamic Stock Management Essential for Reserve

The Order of Pharmacists stresses that the Portugal Medicines Reserve must be dynamic in nature, maintaining elevated stock levels that circulate continuously within the healthcare system instead of being confined to storage in central or regional centers. This strategy, advocated by Bastonário Helder Mota Filipe, reduces the likelihood of product expiration and thereby prevents substantial economic losses. Furthermore, the OF calls for an integrated response system featuring ongoing stock monitoring and perpetual updates to reflect changes in therapies and healthcare demands, while offering its technical expertise for the project’s development. In support, the Association of Pharmaceutical Distributors (ADIFA) recommends focusing on a restricted list of critical medicines covering one to three months of typical demand, to be overseen by organizations possessing sufficient logistical capabilities.

Integrated into National Recovery Framework

This reserve forms part of an extensive array of 96 measures within the PTRR, which allocates a total of 22.6 billion euros across nine years. Complementary initiatives include 42 million euros dedicated to a national system for georeferencing individuals and families in vulnerable situations through biometric and geolocation devices, as well as 90 million euros for the reform of emergency medical services with enhanced technology at the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM). The decision follows recent challenges, including the power blackout on April 28, 2025, that affected patients dependent on home-based medical equipment, and earlier storms that highlighted deficiencies in supply chains, prompting discussions between the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic on the importance of such reserves.

Enhancing Crisis Response and Economic Efficiency

The Portugal Medicines Reserve suggests substantial implications for health economics and outcomes research by facilitating more efficient allocation of resources and minimizing financial losses from expired inventories, while ensuring the uninterrupted provision of therapeutic assistance in emergency situations. In the context of market access and reimbursement, the centralized procurement and collaborative framework involving pharmaceutical distributors could lead to more reliable supply mechanisms, potentially stabilizing costs and improving patient access to essential medicines and devices. By positioning the Order of Pharmacists as key partners in the operationalization process, which is slated for detailed definition in the upcoming months, the measure enhances the overall preparedness of the National Health System for future crises within the PTRR framework.