德国的普通药物制药者批评政府物价计划
FRANKFURT (Reuters Health) - German generic drugmakers on Monday strongly criticized one of the main proposals of a bill designed to ease the growing burden of drug prices on state-backed health insurance funds.
The legislation, proposed by the ruling collation government, is expected to cut drug costs by 1.0 billion to 1.5 billion euros (1.95 billion to 2.93 billion marks) in 2002 and 2003, but has run into heavy opposition from several quarters.
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A Health Ministry spokesman told Reuters Health that the plan would not be approved in time to take effect on January 1 as originally intended.
The generic drug proposal under fire Monday would require doctors to use generic names when prescribing drugs to patients with state-backed health insurance. Pharmacists would be required to dispense drugs in the bottom third of the price range for the prescribed medicine.
At a press conference in Berlin, leaders of two trade associations representing the larger generic drugmakers warned that enactment of proposal would lead to a price war. Lower profits would force generic drug companies to lay off thousands of workers, they said.
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Thomas Hummels, head of the German Generic Association, said in a statement that the proposal would cause generic and mid-level drug companies "to bleed."
"We urgently demand that the Chancellor [Gerhard Schroeder] reflect on his position to this proposal," he said.
Last week, Schroeder met with representatives of leading drug companies that were lobbying against another piece of the bill, which would have required them to cut by 4% the regulated price of on-patent drugs for a 2-year period.
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After the drug manufacturers said they would make a one-time payment of 400 million German marks to the state-backed health insurance fund, Schroeder agreed to dump that part of the drug bill.
Ursula-Anne Ochel, spokeswoman for the Generic Association, told Reuters Health that generic drugmakers also would like the chance to meet with Schroeder. "We would like to make clear to him that this proposal would have a very negative effect," she said.
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Ochel said the generic drugmakers have offered to cut set prices by 3%, which she said would result in savings of 900 million German marks in 2002 and 2003.
Florian Lanz, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that there is some room for compromise on the current proposal. In order to come up with a compromise proposal, the bill has been pulled off the legislative agenda for further discussion.
Although the January 1 deadline for enactment will not be met, he said it is possible the bill will become law sometime in January.
The bill also would make a change in rebates paid by pharmacies to state-backed health companies. Currently, pharmacies pay a 5% rebate on drugs prescribed to patients covered by state-backed health companies. The bill proposes raising that to 6%., http://www.100md.com
The legislation, proposed by the ruling collation government, is expected to cut drug costs by 1.0 billion to 1.5 billion euros (1.95 billion to 2.93 billion marks) in 2002 and 2003, but has run into heavy opposition from several quarters.
, 百拇医药
A Health Ministry spokesman told Reuters Health that the plan would not be approved in time to take effect on January 1 as originally intended.
The generic drug proposal under fire Monday would require doctors to use generic names when prescribing drugs to patients with state-backed health insurance. Pharmacists would be required to dispense drugs in the bottom third of the price range for the prescribed medicine.
At a press conference in Berlin, leaders of two trade associations representing the larger generic drugmakers warned that enactment of proposal would lead to a price war. Lower profits would force generic drug companies to lay off thousands of workers, they said.
, 百拇医药
Thomas Hummels, head of the German Generic Association, said in a statement that the proposal would cause generic and mid-level drug companies "to bleed."
"We urgently demand that the Chancellor [Gerhard Schroeder] reflect on his position to this proposal," he said.
Last week, Schroeder met with representatives of leading drug companies that were lobbying against another piece of the bill, which would have required them to cut by 4% the regulated price of on-patent drugs for a 2-year period.
, 百拇医药
After the drug manufacturers said they would make a one-time payment of 400 million German marks to the state-backed health insurance fund, Schroeder agreed to dump that part of the drug bill.
Ursula-Anne Ochel, spokeswoman for the Generic Association, told Reuters Health that generic drugmakers also would like the chance to meet with Schroeder. "We would like to make clear to him that this proposal would have a very negative effect," she said.
, 百拇医药
Ochel said the generic drugmakers have offered to cut set prices by 3%, which she said would result in savings of 900 million German marks in 2002 and 2003.
Florian Lanz, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that there is some room for compromise on the current proposal. In order to come up with a compromise proposal, the bill has been pulled off the legislative agenda for further discussion.
Although the January 1 deadline for enactment will not be met, he said it is possible the bill will become law sometime in January.
The bill also would make a change in rebates paid by pharmacies to state-backed health companies. Currently, pharmacies pay a 5% rebate on drugs prescribed to patients covered by state-backed health companies. The bill proposes raising that to 6%., http://www.100md.com