Adapting pharmaceutical reimbursement policies to manage spending on high-priced drugs

Very high-priced pharmaceuticals also known as "specialty" drugs constitute a large and growing share of total spending on health care in OECD countries. Due to the lack of therapeutic alternatives and high perceived therapeutic value of the drugs, policies used to manage pharmaceutical spending are often impractical or ineffective in the case of specialty drugs. In this environment, there is a need to reformulate existing policies or develop new ones that are best suited to managing this growing group of products in a way that is consistent with the values and objectives underlying the policy frameworks of publicly financed health systems.

Very high-priced pharmaceuticals also known as "specialty" drugs constitute a large and growing share of total spending on health care in OECD countries. Due to the lack of therapeutic alternatives and high perceived therapeutic value of the drugs, policies used to manage pharmaceutical spending are often impractical or ineffective in the case of specialty drugs. In this environment, there is a need to reformulate existing policies or develop new ones that are best suited to managing this growing group of products in a way that is consistent with the values and objectives underlying the policy frameworks of publicly financed health systems.