Free Drug Pricing For Poland In 1977

The Polish government's economic committee recommended earlier this month that the full cabinet should free pharmaceutical prices in 1997, according to a report from Reuters. A government press statement said that for an intermediate period after freeing drug prices, the Finance Ministry would implement mechanisms which would prevent large, one-off jumps in drug prices.

The committee also stressed the need for quicker privatization of the Polish pharmaceutical industry, and said its production should be protected by duties on finished drug imports. In addition, it suggested that Poland should keep duty-free quotas for drug raw materials until 2000.