- January 22, 2025
The Ministry of Health intensifies work on drug policy. Preparation of assumptions for the document is to be taken care of by a team appointed for this purpose. According to the experts, their primary objective should be to ensure the availability of effective medicines by reimbursing them and eliminating inequalities in access to treatment between patients. In Poland, public spending on health care reaches 6.5% of GDP. This is less than in most European countries, which restricts access to innovative medicines.
- It is good that the Minister of Health decided to set up a team to prepare assumptions for drug policy, i.e. a long-term document whose aim is to define access to medicines for patients and their equalisation, which means that regardless of the patient's financial situation, medicines should be of high quality and available - says Paweł Sztwiertnia, Director General in the Association of Employers of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies INFARMA, in an interview with Newseria Biznes agency.
The industry has repeatedly pointed out the need for a drug policy strategy. It should clearly identify priorities for patients, doctors and pharmacists. The strategic objective is to create stable conditions for the growth of the pharmaceutical industry. A long-term drug policy may encourage Polish industry to invest in modern medicines.
- Such a document should consist of many elements. It is the reimbursement system, distribution, quality, financing and the entire manufacturing sector. It is important that drug policy is a part of health policy - indicates Sztwiertnia.
It is necessary to create an appropriate distribution system and to reimburse new medical technologies. In Poland, we spend just over 6.5% of GDP on health care. Although this indicator is steadily increasing, of the 34 countries monitored by the OECD, only Estonia and Mexico have a smaller share of expenditure. This compares to more than 11% in Germany and nearly 18% in the USA, according to World Bank data. Low public spending on healthcare restricts access to innovative medicines and services.
- The reimbursement system is geared more towards savings than towards reimbursement of modern medicines. For this reason, patient payments for medicines are high. This must not be a barrier to access and a reason why a patient resigns from a prescription at a pharmacy, which unfortunately happens in Poland. That is why it is important for a long-term programme document to be drawn up, which will indicate the values in the state and aspirations in terms of access to medicines - stresses Sztwiertnia.
Theoretically, priority should be given to measures that guarantee a high therapeutic effect at a relatively low cost in the listing of reimbursed medicines. Often, however, the lowest price counts. As a result, it is estimated that over 80% of the drugs on the list are generics, i.e. cheaper versions of old pharmaceuticals. The seriously ill suffer from this. In Poland, of the 150,000 people who contract cancer annually, half survive, which is much less than in the West.
- Oncology is a social area where the incidence of disease is very high for various reasons, also due to the ageing of the population. According to analyses, the availability of medicines is worse than in Europe, including neighbouring countries - convinces the director of the Association of Employers of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies INFARMA.
A report prepared by EY and the Alivia Foundation shows that of the 30 most widely used cancer drugs in the European Union, 12 are not available at all in Poland, and two can be prescribed by doctors at their own discretion. Even if medicines are on the list, they reach a lower percentage of patients in need than in the EU and after a much longer period of time.
- The situation is getting better, but the distance is still long. It also results in the fact that the effectiveness of cancer treatment in Poland is worse than abroad, i.e. the parameter of 5-year survival is lower than in other countries - points out Paweł Sztwiertnia.
