Prime Minister Pavel Filip considers a new approach is needed to the problem of drug prices. According to him, not only the prices of drugs count, but also the whole cost of treatment needed by those who are sick. The cost of drugs must also be proportional to the possibilities of those who need them, while the traders from the area should not aim to obtain exaggerated profits in this period of crisis, IPN reports.
In the February 10 meeting of the Cabinet, the Premier said that he recently had three meetings with representatives of the pharmaceutical sector and the competent state institutions. “We wanted to better understand the situation on the drugs market – from the formation of prices to problems faced in this sector. I want to say that the chaos is rather great. There are also objective causes related to the negative effect of the exchange rates on drug prices, which led to the removal of important drugs from the market,” said Pavel Filip.
He also said that time has come for a new approach. “We must determine how much the whole treatment costs, not only a pill or a shot. I’m sure that as a result of these discussions, a balance will be created so that we have all the necessary drugs on the domestic market and these are of a high quality and accessible to the people,” he stated.
Pavel Filip asked that a working group should prepare a strategy with concrete and swift actions for the pharmaceutical sector. “A more complex analysis is needed and the ideas between the representatives of the pharmaceutical sector and state officials in charge should be harmonized. It is yet important to realize that large profits cannot be made in this difficult period through which we go. We should take into account the current possibilities of the population. I ask my colleagues involved in this exercise to work out a plan of action for this sector during a week so as to make sure that the drug prices are correct and the profits are not exaggerated,” he stated.
