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Portugal Zolgensma medication legal case

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2026-10-02 15:21 UTC → 2026-10-02 17:48 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Portuguese Public Ministry has filed charges against four individuals regarding the 2019 administration of the high-cost medication Zolgensma to Luso-Brazilian twins at Lisbon’s Hospital de Santa Maria. The accused include former Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales, Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, former clinical director Luís Pinheiro, and the twins’ mother, Daniela Martins. Lacerda Sales, Rebelo de Sousa, and Pinheiro face charges of prevarication and abuse of power, while Martins faces charges of qualified fraud. The prosecution alleges the group used their positions to influence the administration of the drug. Recent investigations by the Public Ministry have uncovered WhatsApp messages suggesting Lacerda Sales facilitated requests from various public figures and members of the Socialist Party to the hospital's clinical director, Luís Pinheiro. Among those mentioned is presenter Rita Ferro Rodrigues, who denies seeking improper favors, stating her contact with Lacerda Sales was a legitimate attempt to ensure “dignified palliative care for a terminal friend.” In response to the charges, several figures have offered defenses. Former Health Minister Marta Temido stated she believes there was no intention of favoritism, but rather an attempt to “resolve a human problem.” Daniela Martins denied any irregularities, asserting that funds in her account came from a Brazilian crowdfunding campaign and that all requests for support from Portuguese institutions were legitimate. ~~Nuno Rebelo de Sousa and António Lacerda Sales have also rejected the allegations.~~

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