Poland's pharmaceutical industry warns that planned prescription and reimbursement reforms could restrict patient access to treatment
Poland’s health ministry is facing concerns from pharmaceutical organisations after outlining plans to tighten prescription rules and optimise public reimbursement spending. The industry argues that parts of the proposed reform could create unintended consequences for patients, physicians and manufacturers.
While the ministry presents the reforms as a technical exercise aimed at improving efficiency and protecting public finances, pharmaceutical organisations argue that several provisions could have wider consequences for patients and market competition.
“The same objectives could be achieved through the existing e-prescription system without creating additional burdens for patients,” Krzysztof Kopeć, president of the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers – National Drug Producers (NPP), told Euractiv.
“Some proposals (…) may result in formally reimbursed therapies being less accessible in practice or being completely eliminated from treatment,” INFARMA, the Polish association of innovative pharmaceutical companies, said in a statement.
