The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light at European level, and especially in Greece, the gaps in health systems, which are mainly due to underfunding and multi-year distortions. At the same time, the demographic situation, such as the aging population, chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and the increased incidence of cancer, lead to an increase in demand for health care services and medicines, burdening public finances. notes in its resolution the general assembly of the Association of Pharmaceutical Companies of Greece.
In our country, as he underlines, the State invests 26% less resources for pharmaceutical spending
from the countries of Southern Europe and 47% less than the countries of Western Europe and therefore the expenditure is not sufficient to cover the real needs of the population of the country.
“This situation combined with the lack of demand control measures creates cost overruns, which are covered mainly by pharmaceutical companies, through invisible and uncontrollable mandatory returns (clawback & rebates), but also by patients.
The passage of the recent amendment to the “Doctor for All” bill intensifies the concern of our entire industry regarding the treatment it has from the government, since the passed regulations do not solve any of the long-standing, big problems we face.
Specifically: There is a complete lack of justification for the measures that have been passed, while once again there is a redistribution of returns from certain categories of drugs to others, and of course between companies. At the same time, no measures are taken to help curb pharmaceutical spending. The main thing once again turns the clawback into a rebate, a tactic that had been applied again in the past (August 2017), with the introduction of the “polynomial” of rebates, but of course it did not have the slightest effect on the cost and of course the overall returns of pharmaceutical companies. The attempt to “gild” the pill of the abolition of the CB development (80/20 in EOPYY – 90/10 in the Hospitals) completely fails as it turns into a rebate with “selective” attribution, without guaranteeing for reduction or even retention of all returns. Finally, a legislative basis is created for individual closed budgets that will eventually lead to a simple transfer of burdens between categories of drugs and companies, “emphasizes SFEE.
“It must be understood that pharmaceutical spending is stagnant from 2014 onwards – for 9 years now – with the exception of the vaccine fund.
At the same time, the complete lack of control over demand creates a suffocating situation for the pharmaceutical companies, as in practice they become the only partners to whom the overspending is attributed, which is constantly deteriorating.
The health crisis created by the pandemic has led all governments to reform their Public Health funding. This must be done in our country as well.
“In addition, we must not lose sight of the fact that strengthening health systems means adopting the reform tools we need – such as digitization and innovation that add value to patients, health systems and society as a whole.”
SFEE requests:
– The immediate implementation of cost reduction measures
– Adequate budget funding to meet the needs of patients
– The effective implementation of the terms of the restructuring plan to reduce the total returns so that there is a real improvement of the situation for the companies in the sector and not just “accounting settlement” of the numbers.
Ensuring transparency and predictability in enforcing the measures adopted.
Source: Capital
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