E-drug: Drug Pricing policies in Spain
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[Reprinted under the fair use doctrine of international copyright law, KM]
MADRID Pharmaceutical companies sent reeling by drug-pricing policy in
Spain
Lancet 2000; 355: 1081 - 1084
The Spanish Ministry of Health announced a project on March 16 to
contain spending on drugs, which has been increasing rapidly in Spain
over the past few years.
The project is based on a list of 41 generic drugs--or 118 when all
dosages and versions of the drugs are included--paid for partly or
totally by the National Health Service. Each drug has a reference
price which is normally lower than the brand-name equivalent's price.
Under the new system, pharmacists must exchange a prescribed branded
drug for the generic equivalent if the price of the former is higher
than the reference price for that compound. The price of the generic
drug chosen by the pharmacist that is dispensed to the patient cannot
exceed the reference price. The patient can still get the prescribed
brand name product if he or she is to pay the difference. The new
pricing system should save at least US$135 million in its first year
of use. And savings should increase further in the next few years as,
for example, brand-name drug prices are lowered to match their generic
equivalents.
The move has been welcomed by doctors and pharmacists but not by
Farmaindustria, the pharmaceutical industry's representative body. The
negative economic impact on drug companies is estimated to be about
$91 million in the first year. Farmaindustria is awaiting the outcome
of an assessment of the impact on the industry before commenting on
the new pricing system.
Xavier Bosch
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