In order to prevent the population from overpaying for state-reimbursed medicines, was changed from 1 April this year Procedure for prescribing state reimbursable medicines – the doctor now indicates the name of the active substance instead of a specific medicine in the prescription, while pharmacies dispense reimbursable medicines with the lowest price, which are equally high quality, effective and safe.
According to the National Health Service (NSS), since the new regime came into force, patients have saved more than € 1 million a month in co-payments for state-reimbursed medicines, saving a total of € 5.05 million in the first five months.
The average additional patient payment or co-payment per prescription for the purchase of more expensive medicines with equivalent effect decreased by 45% in June, by 46% in July, and by 48% in August, ie in August it decreased from 3.60 euros to 1, 88 euros compared to the corresponding period of 2019. The co-payment of patients for one prescription has decreased on average by 1.60 euros between April 1 and September 1 of this year, reports the State Agency of Medicines (ZVA).
The new system has helped to reduce the price of medicines
As of 1 April 2020, when the new prescribing procedure for reimbursable medicines came into force, the manufacturer has reduced the price of 250 reimbursable medicines, including 50 medicines with the lowest price already in place, as of 1 April 2020. As of 1 May 2020, prices have been reduced for another 18 medicines, for 1 July for another 75 medicines, and for 1 September for another 45 medicines.
During the period from 1 February 2019 to 1 July 2019, 81 medicinal products were removed from the list of reimbursable medicinal products before the change of the system, but after the change of the system from 1 February 2020 to 1 July 2020 – 99 medicinal products. In turn, 70 new medicines are included in the list of reimbursable medicines. Consequently, concerns that the new regime will lead to the removal of medicines from the list of reimbursable medicines have not been confirmed. On the contrary, it has contributed to lower drug prices and the availability of lower-priced medicines.
Between 1 April and 30 June 2020, 175 doctors and pharmacists and 20 patients reported adverse drug reactions. In comparison, in 2019, a total of 61 physicians and pharmacists and 48 patients received adverse drug reaction reports. Analysis of the reports shows that the reported adverse reactions are already listed in the SPC and package leaflet as mainly minor adverse reactions, ie they are already known and foreseen.
The State Agency of Medicines and the Ministry of Health continue to call on the public to report any adverse reactions caused by a medicine to both a doctor or pharmacist and the State Agency of Medicines, and recalls that if there is a medical justification, a doctor can still prescribe in 30% of cases. for the specific reimbursable medicinal product, indicating the trade name of the medicinal product.
Statistics also show that in April, May and June of this year, medical practitioners used active substances or international non-proprietary names in prescriptions for reimbursable medicines prescribed in almost 90% of cases. By comparison, in March 2020, when the new procedure had not yet entered into force, the name of the active substance was used in only 16% of cases when prescribing medicines under the reimbursement procedure.
The Ministry of Health would like to thank both doctors and pharmacists for explaining the changes that this procedure envisages to the population. At the same time, the Ministry of Health calls on all doctors to continue informing the population about the new procedure, including by remotely prescribing reimbursable medicines.
Doctors can most effectively both provide the necessary information and dispel various entrenched myths among the population, such as that more expensive medicines treat better and are more effective, because higher prices do not mean better quality in the field of medicines. According to a survey of Latvians conducted in August this year, patients primarily want to receive the information they need about state-reimbursed medicines from their doctor (57%) or pharmacist (51%) and only then from the websites of state institutions (40%) or the media. ZVA.
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