Strong discontent with the new measures
Announcement
Strong discontent with the new measures
Athens, May 4th, 2017 – The Industry expresses its strong discontent and deep concern about the new across-the-board measures announced by the Ministry of Health (in particular the unified volume rebate, which puts an additional burden of 25% on new on-patent medicines). These measures are not structural reforms; they are harsh tax-collecting measures, which do not deliver on the MoU commitment to reduce the claw-back by 30%. In fact, these measures restrict, or even prohibit, the entry of new innovative medicines, with direct and adverse effects on Greek patients. In addition, they deal a blow to healthy entrepreneurship, without ensuring solid fiscal gains or, most importantly, better healthcare. Finally, they exhaust the viability of pharmaceutical companies, threatening the 86,000 jobs directly and indirectly supported by the Industry, and create conditions of disinvestment. We hope the State will soon realise that our Industry is part of the solution and not the problem, and we expect policymakers, even at the last minute, to engage in a consultation with us before the relevant draft bill is introduced for parliamentary debate and vote, as well as before the issuance of follow-up ministerial decisions. The interests of Greek patients and the viability of the Industry and of the Health System are at stake. For the State, this is time for responsibility.
