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03-07-2023

More than half of medicines cheaper in the new list of reimbursable medicines

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As of 1 July, the new price list for reimbursable medicines was introduced under the new pricing rules. More than half of the medicines in the new price list have lower base prices - reimbursed by the country - than in the previous price list. The positive changes are due to the new selection mechanism for reimbursed medicines, which sets a maximum limit on patients’ premiums and refers to the lowest prices of medicines in the EU.   

Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys says that the new model of selection of medicines in the price list has been the subject of a lot of discussion, but the result shows that it has been successful - the country will acquire a larger part of the medicines at a lower price, which paves the way for the return of the saved funds to the patients to be reimbursed by including innovative medicines in the reimbursement system, by expanding the prescription conditions of the medicines that are already being reimbursed, and by thus improving the accessibility of the medicines that are already reimbursed to patients.

“To put it simply, the establishment of the price list for reimbursable medicines is one of the biggest negotiations in the country - every year, the country spends around half a billion euros on reimbursing medicines. It is already clear that this year the country will buy more than half of the medicines at a lower price, with a positive effect of just over EUR 10 million. These funds will be returned to patients in the form of innovative reimbursable medicines, which are much needed,” says A. Dulkys. 

The price list of reimbursable medicines has been drawn up in accordance with the new pricing rules - external price referencing is applied to medicines from two or more supplier groups, and the maximum premium paid by the patient may not exceed 25 % of the base price of the medicine and may not exceed EUR 5.87. 

In total, the list contains 2011 medicines, representing 831 groups of medicines. This year, 187 new brand-name medicines have also been added to the price list. The new pricing rules resulted in a decrease in the basic price of 1 158 medicines, no change in the basic price of 598 medicines and an increase in the basic price of 67 medicines. A total of 2 405 applications were submitted for inclusion in the price list and 84% of the medicines included in the applications were included as meeting the criteria. 

Aurimas Pečkauskas, Deputy Minister of Health, points out that this year, not only have the base prices of most of the reimbursable medicines been reduced, but also the premiums paid by patients are significantly lower than the maximum amount.

“It is important that people feel the changes not only through the more frugal spending of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund, but also directly. The average patient’s premium for the most popular reimbursable medicines is EUR 2.52, which is half of what is set out in the legislation. Knowing that seniors and people with chronic diseases spend the most on medicines, this contributes to reducing the cost of medicines for such households,” says A. Pečkauskas.

98.5% of the medicines in the price list do not exceed the maximum patient premium. Medicines with a patient premium above the maximum possible amount of EUR 5.87 represent about 1.5% of the total list. These are medicines that have been included in the price list to ensure that all reimbursable active substances, or even individual strengths of a particular medicine, are included in the price list.

It should be noted that the price list, which came into force on 1 July, does not contain active substances or even the dosage of an active substance, so that the exclusion of a medicine that does not meet the patient premium requirement would result in the absence of such an active substance or a specific dosage.

The new price list for medicines is available HERE. 

(Freepik photo)

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Last updated: 09-08-2023

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