“As President of SPPSM, I can only see the approval of a new therapeutic tool and its funding in Portugal as very positive, which fills a need that is deeply felt by our population, specifically in the area of ​​depression, in the most resistant cases. I think it is good news for everyone”, said João Bessa.

The president of SPPSM commented on the approval by Infarmed of the first psychedelic for severe depression to be used in a hospital setting.

In a statement, the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed) informs that the drug in question (Spravato) is now being financed, for use in a hospital environment, in adults “with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder, who have not responded to at least three different treatments with antidepressants”.

João Bessa, however, regretted the delay in approving Spravato, which is already used “in most European countries”.

“It is clearly late, that is, despite the generation of evidence that has been carried out in recent years in this area and the approval of this new therapeutic tool in most European countries, in Portugal, we will only now have this hypothesis financed in the National Health System”, he said.

According to the decision, dated May 7, Spravato, in association with two other antidepressants, may be used “with combination or oral potentiation strategies, in the current moderate to severe depressive episode”, in adults who have previously undergone psychotherapy and have resistance or contraindication to “electroconvulsive therapy”, do not have access to or have refused this therapy.

This information comes on the same day that a working group that includes medical, pharmaceutical and psychological associations and the National Ethics Council presents a set of recommendations for the clinical use of psychedelics, arguing that they should be classified as medicines.

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