Health Ministry will have “strict response” to “artificially increased prices” on oncological medicines
The Ministry said the Georgian National Competition Agency was involved in studying possible "dishonest actions" on the part of individual pharmaceutical companies. Photo via IPN
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The Georgian Health Ministry on Thursday said it would have a “strict response” to “artificially increased prices” on expensive oncological medicines, after the “significant” surge of prices by “some” pharmaceutical companies.
The oncological medications are financed by the state’s universal health care programme and the reference prices have not been established for them, the Ministry noted.
According to the National Health Agency’s data, the companies selling expensive oncological medicines have established identical prices for medicines, the state body emphasised, adding the pharmaceutical companies might have an “unfair agreement” between each other to “improperly” use the dominant position on the market, which “significantly harmed” the oncology patients and the state, financing their treatment.
The Ministry said the Georgian National Competition Agency was involved in studying possible "dishonest actions" on the part of individual pharmaceutical companies.
Within the Universal Healthcare Programme, ₾25,000 (about $9,710) is allocated annually per beneficiary for oncology treatment and as a result of artificially inflated prices, the patients’ access to medicines has been limited, the Ministry noted.
The Georgian Government’s Interagency Commission has been authorised to set wholesale prices for select pharmaceutical products by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, in the latest move designed to effect a reduction of domestic costs of medication.
Plans for expanding the list of medicines under the reference price system, ensuring full functioning of a drug quality laboratory and approving a nursing development strategy were among healthcare system plans for 2023 discussed on Wednesday between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said the reference price mechanism, set to be introduced in a Government initiative across Georgia next month, would reduce the cost of medical drugs by an average of 40 percent.
Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili on Friday said the existence of alternative institutions providing essential services for children with oncological diseases was “of vital importance”, adding that working in this direction has already started.
Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, on Monday said the Government funding of domestic healthcare programmes had hit ₾7 billion ($2.7 billion) over the past 10 years, in comments marking an anniversary of the State Universal Healthcare Programme.
Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili on Monday said the Ministry would finance "year-long medication needs" for oncology patients and was in talks with drug manufacturers.