Review article
Developing Competitive and Sustainable Polish Generic Medicines Market
Steven Simoens
; Research Centre for Pharmaceutical Care and Pharmaco-economics, Kalholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Abstract
Aim To descriptively analyze the policy environment surrounding
the Polish generic medicines retail market.
Method The policy analysis was based on an international
literature review. Also, a simulation exercise was carried out
to compute potential savings from substituting generic for
originator medicines in Poland using IMS Health pharmaceutical
intelligence data.
Results Poland has a mature, high-volume, low-value generic
medicines market, primarily driven by the establishment
of the reference price at the price of the cheapest
medicine in combination with pricing regulation and the
low level of medicine prices. The practice of discounting
in the distribution chain implies that the National Health
Fund and patients do not capture the potential savings
from a generic medicines market where companies compete
on price. This high-volume market has benefited in
the past from the limited availability of originator medicines
and a short data exclusivity period, even though
there are no incentives for physicians to prescribe generic
medicines and a financial disincentive for pharmacists to
dispense generic medicines. Increased generic substitution
would be expected to reduce public expenditure on
originator medicines by 21%.
Conclusion To develop a competitive and sustainable
market, Poland needs to consider moving away from competition
by discount to competition by price. This could
be achieved by replacing maximum distribution margins
by fixed margins. Also, Poland may wish to raise reference
prices as a temporary measure to boost market entry for
medicine classes with few generic medicines.
Keywords
generic medicines; market access; pricing; reference-pricing; reimbursement; generic substitution; incentives
Hrčak ID:
47864
URI
Publication date:
15.10.2009.
Visits: 1.543 *