Polish pharma sector corruption warning

The lack of transparency in Poland's drug sector creates the potentialfor corruption all the way through the system, warns an unpublished report by the World Bank. "There appear many possibilities and incentives to resort to corruption practices, with a relatively low risk of disclosure," which "translates directly into costs and quality of treatment," says the report.

The Warsaw Business Journal says the study sees problems in drug registration, pricing and price controls, reimbursement, the manipulation of prescriptions and sales. "The principles of operation within the system can be very unclear," notes the Bank, and, "in many cases, there is no legislation or it is badly constructed."