EuroPharma Today

German Health Minister Attacks Drug Prices With Forced Rebates

German health minister Philipp Roesler has opened fire against the branded drug industry with plans to break the sector's so-called "price monopoly" and force it to negotiate lower prices directly with the country's 200 or so health insurers.

If the industry doesn't, he says in a national press interview, it'll face fixed price ceilings.

The End of Free Drug Pricing in Germany?

According to local press, Germany's health minister Philipp Roesler is about to open fire against the branded drug industry with a proposal to break the sector's so-called 'price monopoly' and force them to negotiate lower prices directly with insurers.

EU Regulator Wants Closer Ties With Health Technology Assessors

LONDON - Among the proposals in the European Medicines Agency's five-year strategy document, the "Road Map to 2015", is a call for closer ties with health technology assessment (HTA) bodies like the UK National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Ireland Cuts Drug Prices And May Also Introduce Reference Pricing

Ireland slashed the prices of 300 branded multisource medicines, including Zofran and Casodex , by around 40 percent at the start of the month, and there are strong indications that more cutbacks are to follow, with reference pricing and generic substitution as distinct possibilities.

Bioequivalence Guideline From EMEA Focuses On Quality, Not Clinical, Issues

The European Medicines Agency has released a simplified version of its guideline on bioequivalence that focuses on quality issues, instead of clinical efficacy and safety perspectives.

UK's NICE Says No To Two CML Drugs; Invites Cost-Sharing Schemes

The UK cost-effectiveness watchdog NICE delivered a resounding "no" Feb. 9 to the use on the National Health Service of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sprycel (dasatinib) and Novartis' Tasigna (nilotinib) in chronic myeloid leukemia patients who are intolerant to Glivec (imatinib, Gleevec in the U.S.).

U.K. NRT Harm Reduction Indication Could Be Model For U.S.

The U.K.'s harm reduction indication for a nonprescription nicotine replacement therapy inhaler could bode well for GlaxoSmithKline's request that FDA allow a similar change for NRT products in the U.S.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in December approved an application for an indication to include harm reduction among indications for Nicorette Inhalator, which Johnson & Johnson markets in the country and which is available in general sales.

EU-Wide OTC Approvals Highlight The Drawbacks Of National Processes

The European OTC industry has welcomed the advent of centralized switch, but it has cast the spotlight on the speed and quality of the existing national processes. The European Medicines Agency, for instance, claims it has kept to its promised review timelines - albeit for a tiny number of OTC switch applications - but the same cannot be said for national approval processes.

European Switch Progresses, But Stronger Incentives Needed For OTCs

Europe needs to provide more incentives for consumer firms, otherwise the OTC industry will "make commercial decisions" that could reduce their presence in the area, suggested Manfred Scheske, Glaxo-SmithKline's Consumer Healthcare Europe president and VP of the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry, speaking at that organization's meeting in London Jan. 20.

Cimzia UK Access Scheme Reinforces Marketing Message

It seems that UK cost-sharing schemes - agreements whereby drug companies offer the National Health Service rebates or free doses of their medicines - aren't just about winning a favorable reimbursement policy. They can help further the product's marketing message too.

That, at least, is the idea behind UCB's scheme for its rheumatoid arthritis drug Cimzia (certolizumab), which was recommended for reimbursement by the UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence in January 2010.