Poles are still waiting for the implementation of the government regulation, as the Health Ministry is delaying the publication of the medicine list, despite last year’s decree to reduce the prices of domestically produced medicines and drugs containing Polish components.
The government resolution was supposed to be a way to save money for patients and support the domestic pharmaceutical sector. The amendment envisages a 10% reduction in patient fees for medicines produced in Poland and a 15% reduction for medicines containing active substances originating in the country.
However, as of today, the Ministry of Health has not published a list of such drugs, which prevents pharmacies from dispensing medicines with discounts to patients.
Krzysztof Kopeć, president of the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers – National Drug Producers, explained:
“The new regulation is effective as of November 1, 2023. Since then, already two reimbursement announcements have been issued – neither of them included this list, which deprives patients of the right to discounts in payment. It is the statutory duty of the minister of health to publish this list and thus enable patients to purchase cheaper drugs.”
Three organisations representing domestic drug manufacturers – the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers (National Drug Producers), the Polish Chamber of Commerce POLISH PHARMACY, and the Polish Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Devices POLFARMED – noted that the absence of the list indicates a notable omission in the compliance with mandatory legal provisions by public officials.
In December 2023, the organisations sent an official letter notifying the Polish Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Justice and Health, as well as the Ombudsman and the Patients’ Ombudsman, of the Ministry’s failure to comply with the legal provisions.
The ministry explained that pharmaceutical companies producing domestic medicines must initiate the inclusion process, with the ministry having a 30-day timeframe to rule on such requests.
The first list of products manufactured in Poland will be published after the proceedings are completed and a decision is issued. At present, we cannot determine how long this will take.
Kopeć remarked the ministry’s explanations that the process depends on pharmaceutical companies were built on precarious foundations.
“The ministry has extensive knowledge of drugs manufactured in Poland. In addition, to facilitate the creation of the list, many companies provided documents and statements to the ministry as early as last October.”
According to Kopeć, contrary to the ministry’s position, the issuing of the list and discounts for patients do not depend on the initiative of pharmaceutical companies, but on the minister’s new reimbursement decisions.
After all, it may happen that a manufacturer that has been producing a drug in Poland for 20 years does not apply for preferences, but this will not change the fact that the patient has the right to purchase its Polish drug at a discount. We will seek to have authorised institutions investigate the situation and assess whether there has been a failure of duty.
