Generic treatments manufacturers draw the alarm signal: their introduction on the compensation list is late for up to two years, seriously affecting patients to essential therapies and putting pressure on the health system.
Medications will arrive late, warn the manufacturers / photo source: Archive
The Association of Producers of Generic Medicines in Romania: The delays of the compensation list affect millions of patients
Generic drug producers point out that the introduction of these treatments on the compensation list takes place with delays of up to two years, which seriously affects patients to essential therapies and stresses that, in the last 10 years, while the costs of raw materials and industrial goods have increased, prices of generic drugs have decreased constantly.
“In the last 10 years, while the costs of raw materials and industrial goods have increased by 30-45%, the prices of generic drugs have decreased constantly. Generic drugs reach the compensation list with a delay of up to 2 years, affecting the access of patients. Apply the lowest price and the clawback tax, without the possibility of price adjustment depending on real costs.”said Călin Băjan, the leader of the Working Group for Price of the Association of Generic Medicines Manufacturers in Romania (APMGR) on Saturday.
He explained that inflation, environmental requirements and costs associated with the elder population increase significantly the production expenses. In a rigid system, where prices cannot be adjusted according to the economic realities, these pressures lead to the withdrawal of drugs from the market and, implicitly, to reduce the access of patients.
Generic drug manufacturers warn that the system delays increase the costs of treatments
For his part, Simona Cocoş, a member of the Board of Directors of the APMGR, stressed that the introduction of generic drugs and biosimilation in the list of unconditional drugs – that is, those treatments that correspond to innovative medicines with expired patent and are in cost -volume contracts – is done with delays of 1.5 – 2 years.
“We have an important weight of innovative drugs both in volume, but also as a sum, and treatments that can be solved with generic drugs, due Cocoş said at an event organized by the coalition of patients with chronic diseases in Romania and APMGR.
She added that generic drugs represent only 20% of the total expenditure on the medicines in the health system.
The representative of the APMGR said that the generic drugs placed on the market between 2016-2023 generated budget optimization of over one billion euros for the health system. Thus, the contribution to the state budget was 1.56 billion lei (0.3% of the budget).
At the same time, Simona Cocoş said that 40% of the production of generic drugs goes to export.
