“This document outlines the actions taken by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Department of Federal Interior (DFI) to manage drug shortages and regulate pricing.
- Drug Shortage Measures:
- In spring 2023, a task force was established, including representatives from the Confederation, cantons, health sector, and economy.
- Short-term measures were introduced to address medicine shortages, allowing pharmacies to import missing medicines and produce some drugs, with health insurance covering the costs.
- FOPH Directives:
- Amended directives allowed certain active substances to be dispensed in split quantities.
- Reimbursement policies were adjusted to alleviate the impact of shortages.
- Price Fixing Exceptions:
- The FOPH can forgo price reductions for essential drugs during the triennial price review to prevent economic-driven market withdrawals.
- A differentiated re-examination process was proposed to protect inexpensive and essential medicines from price reductions.
- Price Increase Requests:
- Price increases are generally excluded but may be approved in exceptional cases where no therapeutic alternatives exist.
- The evaluation of such requests is thorough and can take up to a year, with the FOPH developing a guide to streamline the process.
- Recent Trends:
From 2017 to 2023, the FOPH waived price reductions in over 120 cases.
In 2023, 30 price increase requests were submitted, with one-third approved.
In 2024, 10 requests were filed, with two approved so far, and the others under review.”
Resource:https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/89133.pdf##~https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/fr/home/das-bag/aktuell/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-102159.html
Region: Switzerland
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August 2024
