Germany's Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA) decided on Thursday to allow health insurers to cover four drugs that alleviate certain Long Covid symptoms. Previously, patients had to pay for these off-label uses themselves. The ruling eases access for the country's 74 million statutory insurees.
In Berlin, the G-BA, which regulates benefits for 74 million statutory health insurees, issued the ruling on Thursday. Long Covid patients have faced high costs, as no drugs are officially approved for the condition.
Martin Walter, a clinic director in Leipzig and head of the Post-Covid Task Force of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, welcomed the decision. "A situation in which no single drug had been specifically recommended, approved, and reimbursable until now, although there was partial international evidence and use in other countries," he told the Science Media Center.
Walter highlighted the need: "Patients no longer have to resort to expensive, unfunded, and unproven over-the-counter preparations." The measure addresses a key frustration in treating post-Covid complaints.
