URCH Publishing launches comprehensive guide to pharmaceutical pricing systems
in Western Europe
Reference report that will become a vital component in the way executives
understand the pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceutical products.
Today, URCH Publishing announces the publication of
The Guide to Pricing & Reimbursement Systems; Western Europe, a
straightforward guide to the pricing and reimbursement mechanisms in 16 major
European markets.
This unique publication will benefit executives by concisely explaining the
key elements of pricing and reimbursement regulation, offering insight into
the latest policies and political environment and increasing knowledge of the
methods by which governments influence and control the pharmaceutical
industry.
The countries covered in the Guide are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The report makes some interesting key findings concerning pharmaceutical price
control including:
• Government authorities wishing to contain rising healthcare costs are
increasingly requiring pharmacoeconomic evidence to be supplied by drug
manufacturers. 12 out of the 16 countries surveyed have formally adopted such
measures.
• Reference pricing mechanisms exist in more than half the European countries
reviewed. Following an inconclusive implementation, Sweden is the only country
to have abandoned its reference scheme.
• OTC prices remain mostly deregulated in Europe, while prescribing budgets
and profit control are largely unused.
• Cross-country comparison and controlling the entry to the reimbursement
system remain the most popular cost-containment approachs. In 2005, only two
European countries did not employ these methods.
Simplicity is it at the heart of the publication. The complex subject matter
is concisely conveyed using a targeted question and answer format making the
information easily digestible. Each country chapter is structured as follows;
• Summary
• How is the healthcare system structured?
• What size is the pharmaceutical market?
• Are pharmaceuticals taxed?
• How are drug prices set?
• How are prices changed?
• How are drugs reimbursed?
• Is there a payback arrangement?
• Are hospital sales controlled?
• Are OTC prices regulated?
• How are pharmaceutical costs controlled?
• How are generic drugs priced?
• What are wholesale/pharmacy margins?
• Is parallel trade influential?
• What to look out for
• Abbreviations
• Useful Contacts
Go to
The Guide to Pricing & Reimbursement Systems; Western Europe
