Santo Domingo.– The Minister of Health, Víctor Atallah, formally requested the Superintendency of Health and Labor Risks (Sisalril), to conduct an actuarial study to evaluate the inclusion of the drug Risdiplam (Evrysdi) in the Essential Medicines Catalog of the Health Services Plan (PDSS), as a therapeutic alternative for patients diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Public Health explained that SMA is a low-incidence disease in the country, but whose treatment represents a
high economic burden for affected families, so its eventual incorporation into the
coverage catalog could signify a significant advance in the
financial and health protection of these patients.
The request is contained in an official communication sent on March 9th to the superintendent of Sisalril,
Miguel Ceara Hatton, as part of the actions promoted by the head of Health to strengthen the
Dominican Social Security System and expand access to high-impact treatments for rare diseases.
In the letter, signed by Minister Atallah, it is requested to evaluate the feasibility of including Risdiplam within the catalog of medications of the social security system, as part of the efforts aimed at
strengthening the institutional response to rare and high-cost diseases.
From the
Ministry of Health, inter-institutional coordinations have been articulated to manage, within the available mechanisms, access to
high-impact treatments for patients with rare diseases.
This initiative is part of the efforts led by the Minister of Health to facilitate access to
innovative therapies, through technical and financially sustainable mechanisms within the
health insurance system.
