On the 20th of October, the GVK Financial Stabilisation Act was passed after deliberation and criticism from experts. According to the president of the VFA, Hans Stuel:
- The law fundamentally changes the business basis of the pharmaceutical industry
- In 2023, will incur additional costs of €1.3 billion to the pharmaceutical industry from the “manufacturer discount”
Moreover, a €120-million burden has been projected to be placed on the 18,000 pharmacies nationwide as a result of the increased deduction that pharmacies will have to grant the GVK for each prescription drug.
The Federal Minister of Health, Professor Karl Lauterbach, defended individual measures encompassed in the act and made some final amendments in light of expert criticism, such as lowering the sales threshold of orphan drugs from €50 million to €30 million (instead of the previously planned €20 million). Nonetheless, ABDA President Gabriele Regina Overwiening states that the reduction in renumeration for pharmacies must be relived and that this will be fought for, with mass strikes in four federal states already showing their conviction.
Sources
- GKV-Spargesetz verabschiedet – Overwiening: “Ein schwarzer Tag”. ABDA. https://www.abda.de/aktuelles-und-presse/newsroom/detail/gkv-spargesetz-verabschiedet-overwiening-schwarzer-tag/. Accessed 25th October 2022
- Lauterbach: „Das 17-Milliarden-Loch in der GKV werden wir abgedeckt haben“. Ärzte Zeitung. https://www.aerztezeitung.de/Podcasts/Lauterbach-Das-17-Milliarden-Loch-in-der-GKV-werden-wir-abgedeckt-haben-433569.html. Accessed 25th October 2022
- Gesetz bremst Pharma-Produktion. VFA. https://www.vfa.de/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pm-029-2022-gesetz-bremst-pharma-produktion.html. Accessed 25th October 2022