A comparative analysis of generics markets in five European countries

Utilization and Price Trends in Some Reimbursed Cardiovascular Medicines

“…Despite the opinion that generics create competition and drive medicines prices down, we did not find such evidence (12,15,18,35,36). our study did not show statistically significant changes in the mean prices of the observed medicines, except for one product.…”

Western European markets for biosimilar and generic drugs: worth differentiating

“…Only a few European countries have introduced a direct ''stick-and-carrot'' budgetary approach aimed at boosting the prescription of cheaper drugs among GPs (e.g. GP fundholding in the UK and pharmaceutical expenditure targets in Germany) [11].…”

“…Although in many countries (e.g. France, Germany and Italy) distribution margins (as a proportion of public prices) apparently [11]. In general, the traditional international non-proprietary name (INN) prescription in countries like the UK (differently from France, Italy and Spain) has certainly favoured the diffusion of generics, overriding the controversial attitudes of GPs and community pharmacists [12].…”

“…Most national authorities have specific pricing and reimbursement schemes for generics, to encourage their wider use and limit pharmaceutical expenditure [11]. The most common price regulation system in the Western EU countries is the so-called reference pricing (RP) scheme, under which health authorities set a maximum price for products containing the same active ingredient so patients have to cover any cost of equivalent products exceeding the RP [21].…”

“…The most common price regulation system in the Western EU countries is the so-called reference pricing (RP) scheme, under which health authorities set a maximum price for products containing the same active ingredient so patients have to cover any cost of equivalent products exceeding the RP [21]. Introduced in Germany (Festbeträge) in 1989 for the first time and 2 years later in the Netherlands, an RPlike scheme has now been adopted in France, Italy and Spain, the last Western EU countries where generics were launched, because of national patent extension laws approved before European harmonization [11]. Germany and the Netherlands [18] have now shifted to tendering in community care too, allowing their health insurers to restrict reimbursement to the cheapest product(s) only.…”