IT WON’T BE MORE EXPENSIVE

Slovakia was supposed to have cheaper medicaments from April 2009. Referencing of drug prices (new prices were supposed to be modeled on the lowest ones in EU countries) came from last year’s analysis which pointed out very high expenses for medicaments in Slovakia. In reality though, pharmaceutical companies decided not to follow the new rules so strictly. Their proposed prices differed from the Ministry’s by tens of percent. Following this weekend’s discussions it seems that many medicaments will finally have lower prices than the pharmaceutical companies expected. What helped was the threat of their being crossed off the list and that would mean disaster for them. They wouldn’t be allowed to sell drugs which belong among the best-selling of their range in Slovakia anymore. According to the Ministry of Health this wouldn’t endanger patients. There would still be the health insurance company which could order medicaments for particular patients if necessary. But those medicaments wouldn’t be available in pharmacies, meaning a dramatic sales drop for producers.