Medicine and healthcare
The Health Ministry has drawn up a set of new regulations for the drug market, aimed at capping the practice of withdrawing certain drugs from hospitals and drugstores.
Corina Cristea, 13.10.2016, 13:46
Under the pricing policies in force, the manufacturer of an innovative drug whose patent is set to expire five years after the market introduction of that drug has to operate a 35% price slash, to the value of the most expensive similar drug available on the market. This has created a situation where some drugs have become so cheap, that some pharmaceutical companies have chosen to stop selling them in Romania.
These drugs have gradually disappeared from hospitals and drugstores altogether, to patients despair. Recent data show that, over the last year, 1,057 drugs were withdrawn from Romania by distributors and manufacturers. Alternatively, drugs sold in Romania at low prices are being exported to Germany and France for profit. To cap these phenomena, the Health Ministry in Bucharest has come up with a set of new regulations for the drug market, of which the most important is phasing out price reductions.
Under the upcoming Government Ordinance, which will be submitted for public debate, the price for unpatented drugs will be slashed by 10% the first year, by 10% the next year and by an additional 15% the third year. “The cut back on prices will be operated gradually so as to avoid a new drug crisis, where patients should run out of drugs, despite being entitled to them, Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu explained.
Drug stores and distributors will have to submit daily reports of their subsidized drug supplies, while patients can check the shelf availability of a drug online. The Ministry has to deal with any irregularities within 7 days of their notification. In another development, electronic medical records will become compulsory in Romania soon, as authorities are working on a draft project, the head of the National Health Insurance Fund Radu Tibichi has announced.
The electronic medical record system is up and running right now, consisting of 6 million medical records so far. Its only real issue is that it is not compulsory. Lawmakers say the electronic medical record, EMR, is a tool that can increase patient security. Medical staff can access patients records more quickly and take more informed decisions concerning their medical condition, irrespective of the patients state of consciousness. In theory, the application can be accessed by any citizen holding an activated health card, provided the health card software is operational. We recall that over the last three days the health card software has been reporting technical issues.(Translated by Vlad Palcu)
