Managing new premium-priced medicines in Europe

An issue of growing concern for health policy-makers in Europe is the continuing rise in spending on pharmaceuticals. In OECD countries pharmaceutical expenditure rose by 3.5% per year between 2000 and 2009, and averages 18-19% of total health expenditure [1]. Similar averages are seen across Europe, with pharmaceutical spending representing the largest component of ambulatory care [2]. Spending in some countries has dropped since 2009 on account of specific policy decisions taken due to the financial crisis, but in others this growth has remained constant [1, 3]. Contributing to this is the continual introduction of new premium-priced medicines, particularly for biologicals given the appreciable number in development and their envisaged high prices [

An issue of growing concern for health policy-makers in Europe is the continuing rise in spending on pharmaceuticals. In OECD countries pharmaceutical expenditure rose by 3.5% per year between 2000 and 2009, and averages 18-19% of total health expenditure [1]. Similar averages are seen across Europe, with pharmaceutical spending representing the largest component of ambulatory care [2]. Spending in some countries has dropped since 2009 on account of specific policy decisions taken due to the financial crisis, but in others this growth has remained constant [1, 3]. Contributing to this is the continual introduction of new premium-priced medicines, particularly for biologicals given the appreciable number in development and their envisaged high prices [ See more See less