The Cyprus Ministry of Health is taking urgent action to curb the rising budget for new, specialised, and innovative medicines to protect the sustainability of the General Health System (GHS).
Health Minister Michael Damianos is set to present a proposal for joint EU member state procurement at the EU Health Ministers Council in early December.
The initiative has gained significant traction, with interest extending beyond smaller member states.
Several countries, including Malta, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, have responded positively to the Cypriot proposal.
Minister Damianos recently held discussions with his Latvian counterpart, while other EU states have informally expressed interest in learning more.
The urgency of the situation is reflected in recent statistics. Cyprus has recorded the highest increase in specialised treatment funding among EU states, with expenditure growth ranging from 3.6% to 13% across the EU during 2022-2023.
The Named Patient Requests Committee, which reviews applications for specialised and innovative treatments, has seen its budget surge from €3 million in 2015 to over €120 million in 2024.
The timing is crucial as the proposal aims to integrate with the European Health Technology Assessment programme, set to launch in January 2025, initially focusing on new cancer medications.
Under this programme, member states will have 30 days to evaluate whether new treatments offer advantages over existing options.
The proposal suggests launching joint procurement immediately after the health technology assessment process.
Originally intended for smaller states, the initiative has attracted interest from larger countries, leading to a proposed voluntary participation model.
“With broader participation, we can secure better prices for all participating states, particularly benefiting smaller countries,” Minister Damianos told philenews. “Currently, there is no EU-wide mechanism for joint medicine procurement, despite its successful implementation during the pandemic.”
The proposal includes establishing a technical committee at the EU level, with the aim of beginning operations in 2025, potentially leading to significant savings for Cyprus’s General Health System.
Read more:
