Original article

Lauterbach: “A highway of fast studies”

“A decision that sustains and strengthens Germany as a location” (Habeck); “A really good day for Germany” (Lauterbach). It is rare that two federal ministers - Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach (Health) and Dr. Robert Habeck (Economy and Vice Chancellor) appear together at a press conference for a pharmaceutical company. All that was missing was Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research, to round out the triumvirate of ministries significantly involved in the topic. After all, the research-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company in Berlin announced far-reaching investment plans in Germany: construction of a new high-tech production facility in Alzey is to begin in 2024 - subject to the approval of the state authorities - for 2.3 billion euros. Initially around 1,900 employees will work in the new production network, and after completion in 2027 around 1,000 employees will work.

18.11.2023

Overlooked side effects of the corona pandemic

Comment series part 8: Dr. med. Christine Tretter, specialist in psychiatry, expert; Nutritional Psychiatry, Vienna

04.11.2023

Savings through AMNOG discounts

With the Pharmaceutical Market Reorganization Act (AMNOG) in 2011, the German legislature enshrined the principle of benefit-based pricing in law. Since then, price negotiations have been largely based on the additional benefits of a medicine, in addition to the annual therapy costs of comparable medicines and retail prices in other EU countries. The aim of the law was to negotiate the price for new drugs with patent protection or new document protection following an additional benefit assessment. The benefit assessment is carried out compared to the appropriate comparator therapy (zVT). This determined additional benefit, together with the previously mentioned criteria, forms the basis for the reimbursement price negotiation, which is carried out between the pharmaceutical company and the umbrella association of health insurance companies (GKV-SV) on the basis of the resolution of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA). The resulting price discount on the introductory price is the basis for calculating the AMNOG savings in accordance with Section 130b SGB V. These are calculated using the sales difference between the real sales considered (price corresponding to reimbursement amount negotiation x quantity) and a “fictitious” sales (price without Reimbursement amount negotiation x quantity) which would have been reimbursed without the AMNOG price negotiations.

14.10.2023

“Patient centricity must be the benchmark for everything”

In the interview: Dr. Martin Danner, Federal Managing Director of BAG Selbsthilfe, and Dr. Holger Bartz, Managing Director of Medical & Scientific Affairs at Janssen Germany.