Overview
- The G-BA, which ruled Thursday, authorized statutory insurers to reimburse four prescription drugs used off label for defined Long- and Post-Covid care.
- The four named substances are agomelatine for severe fatigue, vortioxetine for cognitive symptoms, ivabradine for POTS related rapid heart rate on standing, and metformin to prevent Long Covid in overweight patients after an acute infection.
- One of the substances may also be used for ME/CFS, a debilitating fatigue illness that often overlaps with Long Covid.
- G-BA chair Josef Hecken called the decision a stopgap and urged randomized trials and indication-specific approvals for Long/Post-Covid and ME/CFS.
- Patients who often paid out of pocket should now face fewer costs and hurdles, with the RKI citing 10–15% affected while neurologists report lower rates in recent waves.