SfEE’s Position on the Price Determination System

Press Release

Halandri, February 17, 2010

Following the Government’s announcement on the new price determination system for medicinal products, the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SfEE), would like to make the following remarks:

Since the initiation of a public dialogue by the government, SfEE has proven in practice through the integrated proposals it supplied, that it firmly supports the measures designed to contain health expenditure and overspending. The government’s decisions on the new price determination system, which resulted after several months of deliberations, are to the right direction although the prices of medicines are compressed to a marginal level.

Nevertheless, SfEE feels compelled to point out that the reduction of the prices of medicines can result to an increase of parallel exports. This involves risks of shortage of medicines in the market and expansion of the “fake prescriptions” phenomenon. We would like to underline the importance of a rightful increase in the prices of the old, well-established medicinal products in order to avoid their replacement by new and expensive ones, since they will no longer represent a profit for the producer.

Baring this perspective in mind, we underline the need to further elaborate on the realization of this new system and to work in cooperation with the government in order to avoid possible negative side effects on the market, such as shortage of medicines, fake prescriptions, employees firings etc. We believe and we have proved that, within the framework of a constructive dialogue, it is possible to shape innovative, functional and viable solutions, which will reinforce the health care system.

Once again, SfEE stresses the imperative need for our country to proceed with the establishment of an integrated electronic data processing system for the social insurance. The technological streamlining and the thorough upgrade of the IT infrastructure of the health system is the only way to contain the expenditure and to save on resources.

Unfortunately the announced measures don’t face the real problem of the system’s waste of resources and to that we have to add and remind that the pharmaceutical expenditure represents only 1/5 of total health expenditure.