A signature collection has commenced on “Manabalss.lv” to oppose the implementation of the 75 cent fee for prescribed medicines, as reported by Latvian Society for the Protection of the Interests of the Unemployed and Job Seekers.
More than 100 people signed this initiative in the first hours after its publication.
The author of the initiative is Raimonds Grīniņš. He points out that the current situation of an additional fee for the service of a pharmacist, which is often limited to simple computer operation, is unacceptable. In his opinion, such an approach not only creates an unnecessary financial burden on patients, but also undermines confidence in the government’s promises to reduce the cost of medicines.
The author of the initiative calls for changes to the Cabinet of Ministers regulations on the principles of drug pricing in order to reduce the additional financial burden on citizens, especially those who regularly use prescription drugs.
The Latvian Association for the Protection of the Interests of the Unemployed and Job Seekers also supports this initiative, pointing out that the legislator, by adopting such provisions, has essentially violated the principle of legitimate expectations, since no transitional period was established when introducing such an initiative, so that people could prepare for such changes in regulatory enactments.
In the opinion of the association, such an ill-considered decision most severely affects the most vulnerable groups of society – pensioners, persons with disabilities and low-income persons.
Pharmaceutical industry representatives have also repeatedly expressed concerns about the implementation of the new drug price reform, pointing out that the reform is unreasonable and threatens patients’ ability to receive the necessary medicines in time.
The Latvian Pharmaceutical Care Association and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association have indicated that the implementation of this reform should be evaluated and postponed.
The industry has also called for a reduction in the value-added tax rate for medicines and an extension of the list of reimbursable medicines and diagnoses in order to align prices with neighbouring countries.
On the 16th of July 2024, Latvian government passed the new medicines mark-up model in order to lower the prices of prescribed medicines.
The reform of drug surcharges entered into force on the 1st of January this year, although it was originally planned that residents could see the changes from the 1st of November, 2024. After several months of opposition expressed by the pharmaceutical industry, a compromise step was taken, with the entry into force of the changes on the 1st of January.
The Ministry of Health previously told LETA that the new mark-up model envisages abandoning the opaque percentage approach to the mark-up mechanism for wholesalers and pharmacies, which can motivate pharmacies to sell more expensive medicines to patients, rather than medicines of equivalent effectiveness that are cheaper. Instead, there is one fixed mark-up for all reimbursable drugs and prescription drugs per pack, regardless of the price for wholesalers, and a fixed mark-up in three price groups for pharmacies.
According to the new medicines mark-up model, a fixed mark-up of EUR 0.5 is set for wholesalers for the distribution of one package of prescription drugs. A prescription service fee has also been introduced – residents have to pay EUR 0.75 for a prescription, but another EUR 0.75 for each prescription service will be paid by the state to the large pharmacies. The only pharmacies in the settlements in the state surcharges EUR 1.75.
The price of the manufacturer’s medicines should not exceed the price in Lithuania and Estonia, the price in the compensation system should also be provided in the pharmacy for prescription medicines outside the compensation.