Belgium's drug spending "well under control"

The Belgian drug industry association (AGIM, also known as the pharma.be), has responded to a study which criticized drug price increases in the country, noting that "drug prices are truly under control." In a statement to Le Soir, a national newspaper, Olivier Remels, a spokesman for the group, noted that out-patient drug sales dipped 1.9% in value during 2006, while the combined out-patient/hospital market fell 1.1% in the period.

The pharma.be explains the decline by pointing to price cuts, especially among products that are no longer patent-protected. The industry group recognizes that, for the current year, the trend is upwards "but remains limited."

In the first half of 2007, reimbursable drugs' retail prices increased by 35.0 million euros ($47.6 million). The pharma.be added that the third quarter is generally a period of slower drug sales in Belgium so that an annual increase in expenditure of 70.0 million euros is probably an overstatement. With a budget allowance increasing by 207.3 million euros, the drug industry argues that there is no basis for concern about the affordability of pharmaceutical products.