Belarus’ Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade reported on the impact of the reference pricing mechanism for medicines.
The mechanism links prices to the lowest prices in 13 countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as well as the country of origin of the medicine. To date, MART has approved maximum producer prices for around 960 medicines, taking into account different forms and dosages.
The ministry said that significant price reductions had been achieved for some medicines. For example, the price of the Indian ulcer treatment Omez was reduced by nearly 25%, while the Slovenian medicine Voltaren, used to relieve pain, inflammation and swelling, saw a reduction of nearly 40%.
MART says an analysis of retail prices in Belarus and EAEU countries showed that Belarusian medicine prices are generally in the mid-range, although there are some exceptions. At the same time, for medicines covered by reference pricing, retail prices are not the highest, which the ministry says confirms the effectiveness of the approach.
To improve price regulation, MART has submitted relevant proposals to the Health Ministry.
