SFEE New Year’s Reception
Press Release
The message for 2026: Co-responsibility of the State and pharmaceutical companies for the evolution of pharmaceutical expenditure, alongside the provision of investment incentives to support pharmaceutical innovation!
Athens, 15 January 2026.– With the participation of representatives of the State and the Official Opposition, institutional bodies and high-ranking executives of the Health sector, the traditional New Year’s Reception of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) took place yesterday, Wednesday 14 January 2026, in Aigli Zappeion.
In his address, the President of the Board of Directors of SFEE, Mr. Olympios Papadimitriou, referred to the significant international and European developments that are shaping an environment of increased uncertainty, both for the economy and society, as well as for the future of medicine in Greece. At the same time, he highlighted the domestic challenges facing the sector, noting that during the period 2019–2024 public pharmaceutical funding increased at an average annual rate of 3.65%, while total pharmaceutical expenditure rose by only 10.9% overall.
As he noted, this asymmetric approach led to a rapid escalation in compulsory returns, which increased at an average annual rate of 20%. Particularly alarming, according to recent studies by IQVIA, is the fact that only one in five (1/5) new innovative medicines currently reaches patients in Greece, a situation that risks further deterioration as the funding gap persists. Mr. Papadimitriou emphasized that Greece records some of the lowest prices for on-patent medicines while simultaneously imposing the highest mandatory returns in Europe, placing the country in an extreme position at the European level. He further pointed out that, over the past four years, the pharmaceutical industry has contributed more to pharmaceutical expenditure through clawbacks and rebates than the State itself, an unprecedented situation by European standards.
Concluding his address, the President of SFEE underlined that “2026 is shaping up to be a decisive year for the pharmaceutical sector”, emphasizing the need for institutional and substantial recognition of the value of innovation for patients, Public Health and the sustainability of the Health System. He further noted that SFEE’s long-term proposals are realistic and are based on three strategic pillars:
- Redefinition of public pharmaceutical expenditure,
- Control of prescription and effective management of healthcare resources,
- Strengthening incentives for investment in R&D.
The first two strategic pillars can be covered by a single, substantial intervention: the introduction of a co-responsibility clause for exceeding the predetermined pharmaceutical expenditure, in line with similar practices already applied in other European countries, such as Cyprus, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, etc.
The strategic alignment of pharmaceutical innovation with the development and production of high-quality generics and biosimilars in Greece can serve as a powerful catalyst for sustainable growth. Through targeted investments and strategic partnerships, the domestic pharmaceutical sector can generate significant added value, create high-skilled employment and expertise, safeguard patient access to safe and effective therapies, and position the country as a regional hub for pharmaceutical production and exports.
In his greeting, the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis-Spyridon Georgiadis, stated: “We have a really good cooperation with the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies. Naturally, you advocate on behalf of your companies, while I seek to safeguard the interests of the State. Ultimately, however, I believe that we work in a spirit of unity to provide better health outcomes for our patients. We have a fairly good system, certainly not the best, but we are considerably more open in terms of access than other European countries, a factor that can exert pressure on the returns mechanism. In 2024, the clawback across all categories performed somewhat better than in 2023. It did not reach the level we would have wished, but it certainly did not deteriorate further. Looking ahead to 2026, we will proceed with two additional major measures. In February, the pilot implementation of prescribing filters will begin, incorporating into the system the capacity to automatically suspend physicians’ ability to prescribe medicines that are restricted by these filters. In March, electronic prescribing will also be introduced in hospitals, enabling us to employ full control over pharmaceutical expenditure in hospitals, not retrospectively, as is currently the case, but in real time. The measures we are implementing for 2026 are of paramount importance, and if they are successfully succeed, they will lead in a new operating environment.”
Mr. Ioannis Tsimaris, Deputy Secretary of the PASOK – Movement for Change Parliamentary Group, Head of the PASOK Health Sector, and Member of Parliament for Ioannina, emphasized: “Pharmaceutical policy in our country is currently in a dangerous disconnect from reality, with public expenditure remaining at memorandum-era levels. For PASOK, the solution is not the “punishment” of the industry through a clawback mechanism—where Greece continues to be a negative outlier—but the effective control of consumption through the full implementation of therapeutic protocols and the use of Real World Data. It is imperative to adopt a National Medicines Policy with a ten-year horizon, incorporating a radical revision of the pricing system, incentives for research, and the strengthening of domestic production. Our objective remains the immediate access of patients to innovation, so that citizens’ health is not treated as an accounting variable, but as a national priority.”
The Member of Parliament for Achaia and Head of the Health Sector of SYRIZA-PS, Mr. Andreas Panagiotopoulos, after conveying the New Year’s greetings of the President of SYRIZA–Progressive Alliance, Sokratis Famellos, also extended his own wishes for the new year. He then stressed that medicine constitutes a valuable good for people’s health and well-being, and that the State must provide tangible support to Greek pharmaceutical companies, while at the same time ensuring equal access for patients and healthcare service recipients to new and innovative medicines. Finally, he underlined that the Greek pharmaceutical enterprise is fully aware of its socially sensitive role.
Representing the patient community, the President of the Greek Patients Association, Mrs. Memi Tsekoura, emphasized that pharmaceutical policy directly impacts patients’ access to treatment, continuity of care, and financial burden. She noted that the Association’s key priorities include the rationalization of pharmaceutical expenditure and the reduction of patients’ out-of-pocket expenditure, while safeguarding access to innovation and essential therapies. She further underlined that achieving these objectives requires the meaningful involvement of patients in health-policy decision-making, including Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes and digital health policies, as well as the strengthening of health literacy and the quality and safety of care. Cooperation with SFEE and institutional stakeholders, she stressed, is essential for shaping policies that enhance access to treatment and alleviate the financial burden on citizens.
The traditional New Year’s cake was cut by the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, together with the members of the Board of Directors of SFEE.
