Patients have to pay more for generics

Only 6.9 percent of generics are free of charge

27/11/2014

Statutory health insurance companies must increasingly make additional payments for generics. The association of generics and biosimilar companies points to Generics. The medicines are imitation products that are available at cheaper prices than the originals. The active ingredients are identical.

For generics, the fixed-price policy of the GKV-Spitzenverband sees the cause of the increase in co-payments for generics
Never before have statutory health insurance patients had to make additional payments for generic drugs as often as today. Only for 6.9 percent of the preparations were currently no fees, informed Pro Generika and refers to a recent investigation of a market research company.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers can relieve patients of the additional payment by lowering their prices by a further 30 percent below the fixed amount, which is set by the GKV-Spitzenverband. According to the analysis, however, the proportion of these generic drugs is continuously decreasing: While in the autumn of 2007, 30 percent of all counterfeit products were free of charge, at present there are only just under seven percent. This is the lowest level since the introduction of the copayment exemption. For the patients this means an additional burden, criticizes Pro Generic.

The reason for the unfavorable development sees the association in the fixed price policy of the GKV-Spitzenverbands: „The annual lowering of the fixed amounts results in a 'cellar staircase effect' for generic prices, because lower generic prices are included in the calculation of the next reduction of the fixed amounts in the following year“, it says in a message. The GKV-Spitzenverband leaves generics companies no room to maneuver, „To relieve patients by additional price reductions under the fixed amount of the additional payment“. (Ag)