Rebalancing needed in the Greek pharmaceutical sector, says trade group

Looking back on the past year, last week the president of the Greek pharmaceutical industry association, SFEE, Pascal Apostolides, said that 2017 was a lost year, with missed opportunities and without substantial reforms.

At the same time, at a ceremony attended by representatives of the State, institutional bodies and high-rank officials from opposition parties and the health sector, he noted that the pharmaceutical industry and Greek patients have been witnessing the enactment of several dangerous healthcare policies, which are a cause of great concern for both of them: industry is threatened by exhausting taxes, and patients face difficulties in their access to innovative therapies.

Highlighting the despair of pharmaceutical companies, which can take no more after the unprecedented burden that has fallen upon them, Mr Apostolides stated: “Our contribution to financing total pharmaceutical expenditure is over 30% or four times the European average. Moreover, we paid 165 million euros [$205 million] in rebates and claw-back, covering the cost of care for 840,000 uninsured fellow citizens. Meanwhile, the pricing model has used up its scope for savings and merely perpetuates distortions, resulting in the withdrawal of 240 medicines from the market. Last year we spent valuable time and energy on redistributing clawback and raising rebates rather than on real reforms.