Portugal to spend 32.7 mln euros on COVID-19 medicines

LISBON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government authorized an expenditure of 32.7 million euros (35.9 million U.S. dollars) for the purchase of medicines against COVID-19 in 2022, according to a government decree published on Monday.

The resolution of the Council of Ministers said that the expenditure is necessary "because of the evolution of the pandemic situation," and aims to ensure the Portuguese people have access to "therapeutic options for the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

Signed by Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, the order authorizes the acquisition of the antiviral drug Remdesivir, as well as funding for the storage and acquisition of vaccines against COVID-19.

The Portuguese government said that the expenditure is justified to "put an end to the pandemic" and provide "therapeutic alternatives to treat infected people", such as "monoclonal antibodies," "oral antivirals," and "immunomodulators".

Access to these medicines can only be granted through a centralized procurement procedure within the framework of the Strategy for COVID-19 Therapeutics program, whose management is the responsibility of the European Commission. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollars)