11 innovative oncology therapies added to Romania’s reimbursement list: life-changing treatments become accessible to more patients

The Ministry of Health has announced one of the most significant expansions in recent years of the national list of reimbursed and free medicines for oncology patients: 11 innovative molecules, many of them previously without any reimbursed alternative, will now be available through the public health system. Minister Alexandru Rogobete emphasized that every new oncology treatment means “time and hope – time for family, time for plans, hope for life.”

First reimbursed treatment for uveal melanoma

A major highlight is the introduction of Tebentafuspum, the only approved treatment worldwide for uveal melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Until now, Romania had no reimbursed therapeutic option for this disease. “Starting today, this treatment becomes accessible to all patients through the public system. It is a step that repairs a delay and transforms an urgent medical need into a real guaranteed right,” stated the Minister.

Selpercatinibum: solution for two cancers with no prior therapeutic alternative

The updated reimbursement list now includes Selpercatinibum, a therapy with proven benefits in two difficult conditions:

1. advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for up to 90% of all lung cancers; it is the only therapeutic alternative available for eligible patients
2. advanced medullary thyroid cancer, a rare disease with no reimbursed option until now

Clinical evaluations show that this therapy extends survival and slows disease progression by several months — time that is extremely valuable for cancer patients.

Durvalumabum: new first-line option for biliary tract cancer

Another important addition is Durvalumabum, a first-line treatment for biliary tract cancer — a rare, often late-diagnosed malignancy with a severe prognosis. Romanian patients have never previously had access to a reimbursed therapy for this condition.

New therapies for advanced or difficult-to-treat cancers

The expansion also covers modern therapies for several advanced or high-burden cancers:

Everolimus, Talazoparibum – advanced breast cancer

Regorafenibum – metastatic colorectal cancer

Darolutamidum, Relugolixum, Enzalutamidum – prostate cancer

Zanubrutinibum – chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Isatuximabum – relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

Tebentafuspum – uveal melanoma

These therapies target patients with limited treatment options or those who have not responded to standard care.

“Hope becomes time gained”

Minister Rogobete stressed that the measure is not just an administrative update but a concrete improvement in patient care: “No medicine changes everything overnight. But every such decision brings hope. And when hope is paired with treatment, it becomes time gained.”

The Ministry of Health says its goal is to ensure rapid access to modern therapies through continuous and fair updates of the reimbursement list.