SFEE meeting with the President of the Negotiation Committee
Halandri, March 16th, 2023.- On Wednesday, March 15th, a scheduled two (2) hour meeting was held between the President of the Negotiation Committee Ms. Nadia Gogozotou and representatives of SFEE.
During the discussion, there was a common understanding that thanks to the intense efforts of the Committee, many negotiations have been concluded, with the creation of closed and non-closed budgets, both for new products and for products already on the market. This results in the faster reimbursement of the new products but also in the improvement of EOPYY’s finances thanks to the additional discounts ensured and the significant improvement in cash flows, while at the same time, the State, at least for the time being, seems, thanks to the Negotiation Committee, to achieve the clawback reduction goal compared to 2020.
It became clear from the side of SFEE that the continuous pressure due to high mandatory refunds has led to the delay of the introduction of new drugs in our country by 35%, as the EFPIA study shows.
The points that need improvement in the negotiation process were also discussed, such as the timely provision of numerical/quantitative data to the MAHs, in a formal way, so that they can prepare their financial proposals, but also the better clarification of the institutional framework of the negotiation, so that it is clear who are the terms included in it, beyond the financial.
It is obvious that there are legal gaps that create delays, misunderstandings, but also tensions, while it is also clear that these are matters that fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
The importance of the Committee, and more generally the role of EOPYY in upgrading the efficiency of pharmaceutical expenditure for the benefit of patients is undeniable.
The proper evaluation and recognition of innovation by the Committee, combined with the improvement of funding by the State, will benefit the patient, but also the healthcare system in general.
Indeed, after the recent amendment of the Ministry of Health, for the inclusion of the funds of the RRF in the pharmaceutical expenditure budget, during the current and the next two years, it is certainly an opportunity to mitigate the unbearable financial pressure received by the MAHs during the negotiation process.
