Beleaguered Dutch Pharma Market Manages 5% Growth

An important development for turnover in the Netherlands' prescription medicines market during 1994 was the government measure announced in November 1993 to reduce the calculation basis for the reimbursement of drugs by 15%.

The counter measure from the Dutch drugmakers body Nefarma to reduce voluntarily all prices of medicines eligible for reimbursement by 5% was, however, only approved by the government on May 30, 1994, after lengthy deliberations, and prices were lowered on June 1.

Nefarma notes in its annual report for 1994 that this delay in implementing the announced price reduction temporarily put pressure on the supply position in the trade sector.