KELA: The use of drugs of ADHD has tripled in five years

About three million people in Finland were reimbursed by pharmaceutical purchases in 2024.

The hands of a woman holding half a dozen ampoules medications partially used, with part of her blurred face in the background. — Last year, more than half of Finnish residents were reimbursed by Kela for medication purchases last year. Image: Thomas Hagström / Yle

According to the new data of the Social Security Institution (Kela), a total of 4,100 million euros in medicines were sold in Finland in 2024, an increase of five percent compared to the previous year.

Of these, 2.6 billion euros were covered by health insurance. Of these, Kela paid a refund of 1.9 billion euros in medicines last year.

Pharmaceutical reimbursements have increased vigorously in the last 15 years, and accelerated last year, said Kela’s senior researcher Kati Sarnola.

This is partly due to the introduction of newer and more expensive medicines and the aging of the population.

More than a third of the reimbursements were for cancer and immune response medications.

Dramatic increase in the use of drugs for ADHD

A group of medications that have grown strongly are drugs for ADHD. Last year, Kela paid 27 million euros in compensation for stimulating medications of the central nervous system used to treat ADHD, 20 percent more than 2023.

“ADHD and other attention deficit disorders are diagnosed more often these days, and this is reflected in the greatest use of medications,” Sarnola explained.

According to Kela, the use of drugs for ADHD has almost tripled in five years. More than 115,000 people received compensation last year.

“There has been a lot of discussion about whether there can be an over -diagnosis of ADHD and other care deficit disorders, and if we should medicate patients who would benefit from other forms of support for everyday life,” Sarnola told Yle.