Estonia’s Ministry of Social Affairs is updating the Health Insurance Fund’s list of subsidised medicines, adding new treatments and making some medicines more accessible. The changes will make it easier for children and young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to start treatment.
If a child needs medication due to ADHD, its prescription should not be bogged down by unnecessary approvals. We trust the doctor’s knowledge and responsibility when making treatment decisions and remove the requirement that has delayed the start of treatment for children and young people. At the same time, we are expanding treatment options for people with other illnesses. Using more affordable medications will help us provide more necessary treatment for the money we have.
Karmen Joller, Minister of Social Affairs
Children and young people aged 6–19 with ADHD will now be able to start treatment more quickly. Currently, a specialist treatment team must be consulted before certain medicines can be prescribed for the first time. This requirement will be removed because it has delayed the start of treatment. In future, a separate treatment team will no longer need to be consulted, and a psychiatrist will also be able to prescribe the medication for the first time.
Alyftrek will be added to the list of subsidised medicines for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The Health Insurance Fund will reimburse the medicine at a 100% rate for patients with a specific gene mutation. Cystic fibrosis is a rare inherited disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. According to the Health Insurance Fund, approximately 68 people with the disease live in Estonia.
An ivermectin-based tablet treatment will also be added to the list for the treatment of scabies, with the Health Insurance Fund reimbursing 50% of the cost.
Treatment options are also being expanded for people with the chronic skin diseases atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa, as well as the kidney disease IgA nephropathy. For hidradenitis suppurativa, approval from an expert committee will no longer be required to start treatment. This will reduce administrative requirements for patients and allow them to access necessary treatment more quickly.
In addition, the range of medicines available for treating cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, respiratory diseases and leukaemia is being expanded.
The changes will also help the Health Insurance Fund make better use of its medicines budget. The addition of more affordable medicines is expected to reduce annual reimbursement costs by approximately €600,000. These savings can be used to cover the costs of new medicines and broader treatment options. The changes will not result in additional costs to the state budget.
The changes have entered into force on 1 October 2026.
