BRIEF—KPMG report identifies barriers to improve medicines access in hospital setting

Many European countries are grappling with the efficiency of hospital care, which is facing growing demands from an increasingly elderly population. The optimal use of generic, biosimilar and value-added medicines is one major contributor to this efficiency.

A new report by KPMG launched Monday titled ‘ Improving healthcare delivery in hospitals by optimized utilization of medicines’ analyses the financing and procurement of medicines in hospitals in 8 European countries.

The report outlines the enablers and barriers for increased use of generic, biosimilar and value-added medicines in hospitals, and proposes 9 key ingredients to improve access to medicines in the hospital setting. Recommendations cover switching towards a most economically advantageous procedure (MEAT) criteria, awarding tenders to multiple winners whenever applicable and swiftly reopening tender procedures after the entry of the first multi-source medicine. More information on the key ingredients  here.

Trade group Medicines for Europe director general Adrian van den Hovens commented: “Hospitals account for the greatest share of care expenditure in EU health provision and are under pressure to deliver for an increasingly elderly population. This report shows that hospitals are missing a major opportunity to benefit from the optimal use of generic, biosimilar and value-added medicines and implementing the 9 recommendations is key.”