PvdA Urges Norwegian Model for Medicine Prices
THE HAGUE, 06/06/13 - Labour (PvdA) MP Tunahan Kuzu is to put forward a private member’s bill in the Lower House to tighten up the Medicines Prices Act (WGP) in line with the Norwegian model. As a result, he says medicine prices would decline.
In his private member’s bill, Kuzu proposes introducing a different calculation than that used now for fixing the maximum price of medicine. This price, for which pharmacies can buy a medicine, is currently based on the average prices of comparable medicines in Belgium, Germany, France and the UK. The PvdA wants to expand the number of countries in the comparison to ten: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Norway, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and France. Additionally, the maximum price for all prescription medicine should be fixed at the average of the three lowest prices n these 10 countries. This model is also used in Norway. There, medicine prices are 7-9 percent lower, according to Kuzu. “Lower prices for medicines means, via the premium, lower costs for citizens, companies and government. We must not leave this opportunity unused.” |