If Drugs Are Valuable Why Are They Being Rationed?

  • by: |
  • 10/04/2011
So  much for the hope that comparative effectiveness will be used to deliver the best care using targeted therapeutics for unmet medical needs: 

Proposed Swedish Pharma Pricing Model Suggests VBP Is Not Enough To Control Costs

The Swedish government published on Sept. 22 a framework directive designed to revolutionize the pricing, reimbursement of and access to patent-protected pharmaceuticals.

The directive appoints a Rapporteur to examine, among other things, the possibility of merging the existing value-based pricing mechanism with an EU-based reference pricing system, in order to control drug expenditure.

This will alarm pharma manufacturers that the VBP systems now being implemented by countries such as Germany, France and the U.K., simply may not go far enough in terms of controlling costs and that harsher measures may follow.

The directive examines the possibility of introducing a mechanism that would ensure that drug prices in Sweden are below or the same as prices in other comparable countries such as Norway, Great Britain and Denmark - known as a reference pricing system, the government suggests it could lead to annual savings of between SEK 500 million ($74 million) to SEK 2 billion ($294 million).

Sweden also is examining the possibility of introducing reimbursement limits for certain products - which should generate savings of SEK 900 million over a three-year period. The Rapporteur's report will be presented to government on Sept. 1, 2012.

"This implies that some of the proposals could be implemented as soon as in the beginning/middle of 2013," said Anders Blanck, Director General of the Swedish pharmaceutical industry association, Lif.

tinyurl.com/4y67ndh

 


CMPI

Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.

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