Germany to review drug costs savings plan

5 November 2001

German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt has said that the controversial drugcost savings package (Marketletters passim) will be revamped. Responding to widespread criticism of the proposals from the drug industry, the health service, health funds and the medical profession, Ms Schmidt said that the focus of the review will be locally-enforced drug price reductions, which is the main plank of the plan.

The Ministry of Health will consider alternatives to this legal straitjacket, including the drug industry's offer to make a French-style "contribution" to assist the health funds' budgets. In a press interview, Ms Schmidt said this plan was an alternative to the draft legislation on drug pricing, and that she was open to other proposals.

However, she stressed that the target of savings on drug expenditures remained, with the immediate objective of cutting drug costs by 480 million Deutschemarks ($222 million) over the next two years, most of which would be achieved through the price cuts.

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