The Region will bear the cost of the life-saving drug glucagon , in its nasal spray version, for diabetic patients. The decision came after AIFA, last October, had "downgraded" the drug (from band A to band C), effectively excluding it from the list of those paid for by the national health system.
Sardinia will therefore be the second region to make it available free of charge to diabetic patients, after Emilia Romagna . The measure is made possible by an allocation of 400 thousand euros, of which 50 for the remaining period of 2023 and 350 thousand for 2024.
«Severe hypoglycemia», explains the regional health councilor, Carlo Doria, «is the most serious and feared acute complication for people with type 1 diabetes, particularly for children». Hence the choice of the measure, made necessary precisely by the passage of the drug from class A to class C. «Glucagon nasal spray», adds Doria, «was approved by AIFA in 2021 and included among the class A drugs, a burden on the national health system. However, the events linked to the transfer of the patent led to its reclassification, with inconvenience for patients and their families who, I remember, are numerous in Sardinia ."
Yet the importance of glucagon spray is crucial: «The drug represents a simple solution to promptly treat severe hypoglycemia, its spray version has made it much easier to administer to people with diabetes, particularly children, not only by family members, but also school staff. For this reason", concludes the councillor, "while waiting for a new agreement between AIFA and the new pharmaceutical company that owns the patent, we decided to intervene directly with a rule to protect the health of thousands of Sardinian families".
(Unioneonline)