Pharmacists cause high drug expenditure?

DAV: Reduced manufacturer discount for patented drugs and costs for innovative drugs Causes of increased drug expenditure

01/30/2015

The Kaufmännische Krankenkasse (KKH) is alarming in view of renewed increases in statutory health insurance (SHI) for pharmaceuticals. Blame are the beginning of 2014 lowered statutory manufacturer discount, but above all the high prices of original preparations. According to the KKH, politics is now required, as otherwise the situation on the pharmaceutical market will continue to worsen. According to calculations of the German Pharmacists Association (DAV), nine percent more was spent on medicines than in the previous year (31.4 billion euros). The number of GKV prescriptions and the fee volume of the pharmacies, however, remained constant, as the online edition of the „German pharmacist newspaper“ reported.

Apothekerhonorar has remained almost constant
According to the DAV, about 747 million euros were spent in 2013 on medicines via SHI prescriptions (including auxiliaries, formulas and non-medicines). This corresponds to a cost increase of only 0.1 percent. Likewise, the fee for pharmacies „remained largely constant“, DAV Chairman Fritz Becker explains to the Internet portal. The number of delivered packs had not increased. Last year, the GKV spent 4.5 billion euros on pharmacy fees. This equates to around 16 percent of GKV's pharmaceutical expenditure and less than three percent of its total expenditure.

Nevertheless, the increase in expenditure for drugs according to the DAV is no surprise, as the GKV-Spitzenverband and Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) had already predicted an increase of 7.9 percent in their framework for the past year. However, record savings were expected from rebate contracts that had not yet been included in the calculations. In the first three quarters of 2014 that had already been more than 2.2 billion euros.

„The legislator's decision to lower the manufacturer's rebate on patented medicines explains part of the rise in pharmaceutical spending“, Becker explains. Another cost driver is expenditure on innovative medicines, such as sofosbuvir for the treatment of hepatitis C. For patients, such medicines are sometimes vital. „The question of a reasonable price for these preparations will certainly continue to concern health policy. Every new drug requires a case-by-case analysis.“