Abstracts by keywords: drug expenditures
Biopharmaceuticals are medicines whose active ingredients are obtained as part of a genetic engineering manufacturing process using DNA recombination methods. This manufacturing process is fundamentally different from the synthesis of the active ingredients of chemical drugs. While a chemical synthesis route can be copied identically, the production of drugs from genetically modified organisms is much more complex and results in the active ingredient remaining unique and can only be imitated by another manufacturer, but not reproduced identically. For this reason, copycat biopharmaceuticals are referred to as biosimilars and not as generics, as is the case with chemical medications. In the next few years, a number of biopharmaceuticals will lose their exclusivity, so new biosimilars are likely to complement the biosimilar market, which is currently limited to three drug groups. Even if this can result in cost savings for the payers, it is not possible to validly forecast market developments.
24.01.2013
The expenditure of statutory health insurance on medicines for the treatment of cancer is always the focus of discussion (Neller 2013). A report prepared on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health on the question of ensuring efficient drug supply in oncology shows that an increase in costs for statutory health insurance is to be expected in this area (Glaeske et al. 2010). The prognosis of future medical costs in the oncological field is also important internationally. Mariotto et al. (2010) considers in particular the demographically related additional costs of cancer treatment in the USA. Yabroff et al. (2011) point to the additional consideration of indirect costs as a result of cancer therapy. These are described by Featherstone et al. (2010) for a consideration of costs in the United Kingdom (UK). The demographically-related annual cost increases between 2008/2010 and 2020 are estimated in these publications at 1.0 % to 2.5 %. Global observations with a focus on the pharmaceutical market and taking new launches into account assume higher annual increases (6.9 % between 2010 and 2016) (Business Insight (2011)), which are also expected in Germany (Höer et al. 2010). The aim of the analysis currently presented is to create a current forecast for the expected development of sales and consumption of statutory health insurance (GKV) for oncological drugs dispensed on an outpatient basis until 2016.
24.01.2013
The instrument of drug discount contracts was implemented in the statutory health insurance (GKV) system in order to curb drug spending in the outpatient sector. The GKV Competition Strengthening Act (GKV-WSG), which came into force on April 1, 2007, paved the way for health insurance companies to be able to conclude discount agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers more effectively than before. Since then, pharmacists have had to give preference to discounted medications. Ideally, both manufacturers and health insurance companies can benefit from such discount agreements.