Linked to EAHP Statements

Section 1 - Introductory Statements and Governance: Statement 1.3, 1.5
Section 2 - Selection, Procurement and Distribution: Statement 2.1

ACPE UAN: 0475-0000-22-016-L04-P. A knowledge-based activity.

Abstract

When we see new drugs or new therapeutic approaches reach the market we see them coming with extremely high costs. Some years ago, when the monoclonal antibodies were first used in therapy we had an immense increase in our budget. Today new advanced therapy medicinal products have much higher costs and sometimes give us the feeling that even in richer countries health systems will not survive the next decades or even years because they will implode regarding lack of budget.

Different health systems react in different ways. The “Bismarck” approach tries to react with individual single patient-based decisions, in contrast to the “Beveridge” approach where decisions were made on the basis of patient groups. In both cases we also see other measures to cope with the situation of high-cost medication and therapies. At the end of the day all of the measures did not succeed. Health systems are still going to bleed out from a financial perspective.

In the workshop, the audience should act as stakeholders. Come out with your ideas to rescue your health system. Every idea will be a good one. It is just brainstorming: Work it out!

Learning objectives
After the interractive session, participants should be able to:

• List some measures to be used to cope with the problem of high price medications
• List the approaches of different health systems in Europe to secure the given budget
• Discuss political challenges to finance the system by getting new and innovative therapies being used

Educational need addressed
Pharmacists should have a deeper knowledge in pharmacoeconomics and different health systems. They should understand why different structures of health systems will have to invent different measures to deal with financial challenges. Pharmacists should have own ideas to cope with the budgetary problems of health systems.

Keywords: Health system, budget, finances, high price medications.