In 2015, every insured person received medicines worth almost € 600

Medicines worth more than 40 billion euros
The doctors in Germany prescribe more and more drugs. Last year, physicians in private practice prescribed medicines worth over 40 billion euros to their legally insured patients. On average, every insured person received medicines worth almost 600 euros.

On average, medicines worth 584 euros per insured person
Only recently it was reported that pharmaceutical spending in Germany reached a new record high. Now there are new numbers. As the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) announced in a press release with reference to the statistics of the GKV-Spitzenverband, physicians in private practice prescribed their legally insured patients in 2015 with a value of 40.8 billion euros. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 4.9 percent. On average, every insured person was prescribed medicines worth 584 euros. In the previous year, the value was still 570 euros and 2013 538 euros. The statistics can be found under "www.gkv-gamsi.de".

In 2015, those insured under the law in Germany were prescribed drugs worth more than 40 billion euros. That made almost 600 euros per patient. (Image: photo4passion.at/fotolia.com)

"Already an extreme increase in 2014"
"Looking at the figures from 2015, the price increase of 4.9 percent initially seems moderate. However, this leaves out of account that we already had an extreme increase in 2014, which now comes back to almost five percent, "said Tim Steimle, head of the Department of Pharmaceuticals of TK. "The AMNOG and also the proposals from the pharmaceutical dialogue that are now available will not be able to sustainably reduce pharmaceutical expenditures." It was also announced that the rebates of the pharmaceutical industry will remain stable at around 2.5 billion euros compared to the previous year. Before the legal reduction of the manufacturer rebate, they amounted to 3.6 billion euros (2013). "To counteract this, we use the opportunity to conclude discount agreements with generics and original preparations with the manufacturers," says Steimle.

Not everywhere is the same amount of money spent
Barmer GEK announced in February that fewer pills are being prescribed in some cities than in others. That not everywhere the same amount of money spent on medicines, was also revealed by the TK-message. Accordingly, the prescribing behavior of physicians varies greatly from region to region. The regulations in Hamburg (746 euros per insured person in 2015) were the most expensive and in Schleswig-Holstein (500 euros per insured person in 2015) the cheapest. The insured made additional payments totaling 2.2 billion euros, which corresponds to about 32 euros per insured person. (Ad)