SFEE: Just 1 in 5 New Pharmaceutical Drugs Reach Greece

Greek patients are experiencing significant challenges in accessing the innovative pharmaceutical treatments they need, with just one out of five new pharmaceutical drugs available in the European Union and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) reaching Greece, says In.gr.

Moreoever, even though some treatments have reached Greece, they are not accessible to everyone, according to a series of studies by the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), in collaboration with research firm IQVIA.

The studies investigate the waiting time for innovative treatments to reach Greece, the causes of delays, the availability of new medicines over the past decade, and the comparison of state participation in pharmaceutical expenditure among European countries and found that Greece spends 70% less on pharmaceuticals than the European average.

SFEE President Olympios Papadimitriou and General Manager Michalis Cheimonas emphasized that while funding needs to be increased, the Greek state needs to ensure equal, universal, and timely access to the new treatments that make it to Greece.

And funding and access must be matched with controls and digital tools to improve the investment performance of pharmaceuticals because, according to SFEE, the business environment for pharmaceutical companies in Greece is ‘unsustainable’ and less attractive for investment.

According to EFPIA’s study, Greece approves innovative pharmaceutical drugs faster than the European average. The average time for an innovative drug to become available in Greece is 587 days, which is 56 days faster than the European average.

However, despite availability from the first day of EMA approval, patient access remains limited.

Only 52% of reimbursed innovative drugs are fully available in Greece, with oncology drugs prioritized and combinations facing significant delays.

The main reasons for delays in Greece are the prolonged pricing and reimbursement processes and insufficient budget allocations for their distribution to the population.

Only one in five drugs approved in the last four years is reimbursed in Greece, with another 29% distributed and reimbursed through the Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Technology (IFET) without their reimbursement being officially approved as not related request has ever been submitted.

Overall, the study showed that delays in the submission of applications in Western Europe are largely due to the requirements of the Health Technology Assessment process, whereas in Southern Europe, they are primarily attributed to a lack of financial viability, which affects commercial decisions regarding the release of these drugs in local markets.

Specifically for Greece, limited availability affects one in two new drugs, with the primary causes of delay being the lack of financial viability due to exorbitant mandatory rebates and clawbacks, the need for drugs to be evaluated and marketed in five out of eleven EU countries with assessment bodies, and the accessibility of available drugs depending on their distribution channel and the specifics of their approval process says In.gr.

Greece’s Funding Gap

Over the past decade, state funding for pharmaceutical care in Greece decreased by 14.9% while the average funding increase in Europe was 55.2%.

The funding shortfall severely impacts patient care, with per capita spending on medications in Greece significantly lower than in other European countries.

Specifically, the per capita spending on medications reaches 53 euros for hospital medications and 202 euros for outpatient medications in Greece.

Meanwhile in Southern Europe, the average per capita spending is 146 euros and 232 euros respectively, and in Western Europe, it rises to 178 euros and 370 euros, respectively.

Thus, patient coverage falls short by 64-70% compared to Southern and Western Europe for hospital pharmaceutical care and by 13-45% for outpatient pharmaceutical care, says In.gr.

Overall, the average per capita pharmaceutical expenditure both inside and outside hospitals reaches 255 euros, which is 32% below the Southern European average of 378 euros and 53% below the Western European average of 548 euros.

As a potential solution to the challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies in Greece, SFEE has proposed a multi-year cooperation memorandum between the state and the pharmaceutical industry to enhance predictability and transparency.