From Michal Rutkowski, HAE Poland
A Year of Intensive Work Concluded with Success.
A full year of determined efforts has come to a successful close.
From late October to early December, extensive advocacy activities were undertaken in connection with the reimbursement procedure for an additional preventive therapy – the plasma kallikrein inhibitor berotralstat.
Throughout the process, the Swelling Beautifully Association closely monitored the ongoing administrative proceedings and prepared an official patient position statement addressed to the Minister of Health. This statement directly opposed the negative recommendation issued by the President of the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT) regarding the reimbursement of this medicine.
Furthermore, acting on behalf of patients, Swelling Beautifully presented its position to other decision-makers indirectly or directly involved in issues related to rare diseases and access to orphan drugs, including:
- The Parliamentary Group for Rare Diseases,
- The Sejm (the lower house of parliament) Health Committee,
- The Senate (the upper house of parliament) Health Committee,
- The Patient Ombudsman.
On 15 December 2025, the Minister of Health announced the updated list of reimbursed medicines, which entered into force on 1 January 2026. Berotralstat was included among the reimbursed medicinal products. This reimbursement decision expands access to preventive therapies for hereditary angioedema (HAE) in Poland to two available medications, providing both patients and clinicians with the opportunity to choose an individualized treatment strategy.
On 14 November, Michał Rutkowski, President of the Board of Swelling Beautifully, participated in an advisory board organized by Takeda, during which he presented the needs of pediatric patients with HAE in the areas of diagnosis and treatment.
On 14-15 November, Michał also took part in a national meeting of HAE experts, where he was invited to co-prepare and deliver, together with Dr. Marcin Stobiecki, a presentation entitled “Physician and Patient”. The presentation focused on the process of Shared Decision Making.