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Netherlands Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q3 2008Published by: Business Monitor International Published: Sep. 5, 2008 - 74 Pages Table of Contents
AbstractThe most significant event in the Netherlands Pharmaceutical industry this quarter was the introduction ofa preferential price policy for generic medicines. Taking effect on June 1 2008, health insurers will onlyreimburse the cheapest of 36 commonly used drugs. The closed bidding system is likely to cause asignificant reduction in medicines prices and therefore will have a severe impact on the generics market,particularly if insurers fully implement the pricing policy. At present, It is set to cover half of the market.The policy has come as a result of the Pharmaceutical Care Transition Agreement 2008/2009 which inQ108 had already led to a 10% reduction in generics prices and up to 50% of medicines with patentexpiries pending. Price drops are likely to have financial impacts for companies throughout the supplychain, from manufacturers through to pharmacies.Other significant events include the publication of a report in May 2008 that highlighted a rapid increasein the number of people defaulting on health insurance; up 26% in 2007. This is a worrying sign for thedrug market as shortfalls it will likely lead to shortfalls in health budgets and also represents the largefinancial debts people have will which possibly affect over-the-counter (OTC) drug spending. On a morepositive note the number of people with no health insurance has decreased by 10,000 to 231,000. In April 2008 the Dutch government announced that the cost of premium treatments will no longer be taxdeductible from January 2009. At present, taxpayers can deduct costs of high-price pharmaceuticals thatare not being covered by their health insurance if they exceed a certain proportion of an individual’ssalary. BMI’s Burden of Disease Database (BoDD) has shown the Netherlands to be the 7th least diseaseburdened country in Western Europe. Neuropsychiatric conditions, cancer and cardiovascular diseases arethe diseases to be the most burdensome in the country, a statistic set to stay that way for the full forecastperiod until 2030. In a positive move for cancer prevention, the Dutch Health Council recommended that humanpapillomavirus vaccinations be included in the national immunisation programme. This is likely to lead toa battle between GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi-Pasteur MSD to establish their vaccines as the numberone preference. Company-wise there was plenty of activity for local players. The highlights included DSM acquiringPolymer Technology Group (PTG) and posting impressive sales growth, while wholesaler OPGannounced plans to expand into Poland. In addition, nine research projects in the Netherlands are set toreceive EUR150mn from the Centre for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM) in an attempt toimprove knowledge of disease development. Get Full Details About This Report >> |
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