Brazil's SUS drug access challenged by court delays and new obesity medication study

A study of judicial requests for medicines in Brazil found that 57.5% of the drugs patients seek in court have already been approved by the country's health technology assessment agency, CONITEC, for inclusion in the public Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Researchers highlighted delays of up to 30 months between approval and actual patient access, citing slow updates to clinical protocols and procurement processes.

Separately, the Ministry of Health has launched a two‑year clinical evaluation of the obesity drug semaglutide, enrolling 250 patients awaiting bariatric surgery at a hospital in Porto Alegre. The study will assess weight loss, quality of life, surgical eligibility and safety, aiming to generate evidence that could support incorporating the medication into SUS. Both initiatives underscore ongoing challenges in delivering approved drugs to Brazilian public‑health patients and the government's effort to generate data for future incorporation decisions.