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Tag: pharmaceuticals
According to daily Pravda from 5/11/2011 Ministry of Health in the new regulation shifts about 100 pharmaceuticals to the list of supplementary medicines, which are not covered by the health insurance. Ministry in the case of these pharmaceuticals explained, that in many cases they are the medicines without sufficient documented evidence of clinical efficacy or they are too expansive. Experts oppose and argue some of these pharmaceuticals can not be replaced by others.
Suppliers of medicines and medical devices do not agree with the proposal of Ministry of Health to reduce the trade margins for distributor and servery of medical devices. Suppliers do not see a reason to decrease the total margin of 25%. The proposal will reduce the co-pays paid by patients and also the reimbursement of the medical devices by the insurance companies, but the insurance companies will save much more. The reason is that the measure will decrease the end price of medical devices and the reduction will be apportioned in the same proportion as the current reimbursement/co-pay.
Patients in Slovakia bought in the first quarter of this year without prescription a total of approximately 9.6 million packages of medicines and paid for them more than € 31 million. Each Slovak purchased in average 1.8 of the pack of over-the-counter medications and pay for them cca € 5.8. This information was published by the National Centre for Health Information. 80% of medications were intended for the pain, cough, colds and indigestion.
Medical devices will be cheaper from January. Ministry of Health has submitted a proposal of price action regarding the purchase of the medical devices. Its aim is to reduce their prices and provide savings to patients and insurance companies. Ministry of Health expects, that patients would save around € 135 000 on the supplementary charges by purchasing the medical devices, insurance companies should save almost € 5 million.
Pharmaceutical company Zentiva in Hlohovec is for sale. Even last year, the spoke man of the concern Sanofi-Aventis informed, that company in Hlohovec is strategical for the group, because it is complementing the portfolio of original drugs by the generics, known in the whole region. Today, however, the fate of 800 employees is uncertain. After a strategic review of operational activities of the production in Zentiva the data showed, that level of utilization of its operation will be too low, to ensure its future.
From December 2011 patients will probably have to pay themselves for the pharmaceuticals containing the substance assigned for the supporting and complementary therapy, which are provided in the frame of ambulant and pharmaceutical care. As proposed by Ministry of Health these pharmaceuticals should not be paid by public health insurance, so they will not be reimbursed by health insurance companies. MoH will determine the list of pharmaceuticals by a decree.
According to Slovak association of pharmaceutical companies the Act on drugs, which prohibits pharmaceutical companies to visit doctors or to sponsor the participation of doctors on the training activities, may require its tax. Pharmaceutical industry argues in particular that doctors do not get the knowledge about the latest drugs and innovative treatment procedures.
In December 2011 comes into practice a regulation, which introduces a new price referencing of the pharmaceuticals. While until now the maximum price of the producer cannot achieve an average of 6 lowest prices in EU, newly it should not reach the level of the second lowest price. According to the Slovak association of pharmaceutical companies this regulation can motivate an action to increase the export of pharmaceuticals from Slovakia. Association, however, declares to do everything to make pharmaceuticals available.
The way of drug prescriptions in Slovakia will be changed. President has signed the new Act on Pharmaceuticals with effect from December 1st, 2011. Beside the prescribed drug, doctors will be required to initiate also the active substance, while the obligation of the pharmacist will be to expend the cheapest drug. Based on the clinical grounds, the doctor will be authorized to prohibit the expedition of the generic drug. This change will affect approximately 40% of the pharmaceuticals. Ministry of Health expects the annual savings of patients to be € 50 million annually.
