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Tag: pharmaceutical companies
Experts from the Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices processed a detailed comparison of statistics on the real consumption of pharmaceuticals, development of the prices of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia and the impacts of pharmaceutical policy to the patients as well as to households. According to the statistics of Association the information about increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia allegedly seem to be targeted in order to push on the price policy of pharmaceutical companies. Experts claim that 2nd lowest price of pharmaceuticals in EU does not save money of patients, but, vice-versa, their supplementary charges are constantly rising and households are increasingly financing the Slovak healthcare.
Ministry of Health (MoH) wants to prohibit the advertising of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Ministry claims that this measure will save public money, but doctors and suppliers of pharmaceuticals doubt this. They warn that no country in EU have this kind of prohibition. MoH defends this proposal and claims that allowed advertising of the pharmaceutical in smaller package influenced the increased prescribing of the same pharmaceutical in larger package covered by the health insurance company. Pharmacists as well as doctors have doubts about this argument.
Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices is requiring the implementation of the evidence of the export of Slovak pharmaceuticals abroad. Since December the price of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia shifted to the level of second lowest prices in EU and the re-export to the countries with higher prices is becoming an attractive business. Pharmaceutical companies have repeatedly pointed out that this may lead to the situation, when our market will miss some pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical companies do not agree with the new draft law extending the advertising ban to OTC pharmaceuticals containing the same substance or same combination of substances as the Rx pharmaceuticals. Ministry of Health suggested this change in the amendment to the Act on Pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical companies are protesting against it in the commentary round. The extended advertising ban would reportedly affect most of currently registered pharmaceuticals.
Ministry of Health refuses the claims of producers and distributors of the pharmaceuticals that the information about their marketing expenses published on the MoH website were incorrect. According to the MoH spokeswoman the ambition of the Ministry was to publish these expenditures to show people the overviews of how much are pharmaceutical companies able and willing to spend on their marketing activities. Representatives of producers and distributors of pharmaceuticals argue that because of the ambiguity of the new Act on Pharmaceuticals they provided the overview of expenses for all marketing activities, not only activities aimed at doctors.
Reports on misleading claims of the Ministry of Health are accumulating. After dissatisfied doctors and ambulances also the suppliers of pharmaceuticals have accused the Ministry of misleading informations. In its statetements MoH wrongly informed on marketing expenditures of pharmaceutical companies. According to the spokeswoman of the Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices no pharmaceutical company operating in Slovakia spends hundreds of thousands euros monthly on the relations with health care providers.
