NEFARMA AGREES DRUG PRICE CUTS

The members of the Dutch pharmaceutical manufacturers organization Nefarma have unanimously agreed to lower prices for all medicines which are reimbursable under the AWBZ law by 5%, and in addition have undertaken not to raise prices in the coming two years. It is expected that the reductions will save the Ministry of Health about of 200 million guilders ($108.46 million) a year.

In return for this move, the Dutch government has agreed not to carry out its proposals, put forward last year, to lower the reimbursement rate for medicines classified under the GVS system by 15%. A spokeswoman for Nefarma said that the industry is still in negotiations with the government to try to do away with Appendix 6 of the GVS reimbursement system, which states that full reimbursement will only be given to new drugs which address a previously unmet medical need.