PhARMA Innovation Forum (PIF) and its 26 biopharmaceutical member companies express their deep concern over the impasse regarding patient access to innovative therapies.
According to official data from the National Central Purchasing Body for Health Sector (EKAPY), shared with our companies and covering the first half of 2023, the mandatory clawbacks due to budget overruns for medicines priced over 30 euros, amount to 83%, surpassing even the most pessimistic projections.
This means that the government now covers the cost for fewer than 2 out of 10 treatments for serious -and often life threatening- chronic conditions. These therapies are critical for supporting public health in Greece and are therefore essential.
The impact of the 83% impasse is already being felt. Access to new innovative therapies is at risk, the availability of existing treatments is becoming more unsustainable than ever and disinvestment poses a severe threat to the biopharmaceutical sector and its contribution to the national economy: investments in clinical research, contribution to employment of specialized and well-paid scientific personnel, funding for continuous medical education, patient support programs, and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Labrina Barmpetaki, President of PIF, stated “This development is a clear indication of the failure of policies implemented in Greece over the past 15 years. The PhARMA Innovation Forum has consistently highlighted the obvious. The inflationary clawback measure is inevitably leading to a dramatic reduction in patient access to innovative therapies in Greece. Thus, the demand for a significant reduction in clawback is a stance upheld by PIF and the biopharmaceutical companies. The recent hospital invoices for the first half of 2023 serve as a real confirmation of our positions. The government has an obligation, even at this last moment, to take responsibility for ensuring patients’ access to their medication.”
PIF calls on the government to intervene immediately by taking measures to address the acute problem of clawback levels for 2023, while it is also imperative to develop a fairer and more effective pharmaceutical policy. This would ensure long-term access to innovative pharmaceutical solutions for patients, safeguard the sustainability of the healthcare system and the sector, and strengthen Greece’s competitiveness in the biopharmaceutical field.
#ProtectPublicHealth #HealthOverClawback
