According to the local press, the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH), the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and the Spanish Society of Haematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) have voiced a number of “reflections” intended to contribute to “improving the process of incorporating expensive drugs to the Basic Portfolio of Services of the National Health System”.
With respects to pricing and reimbursement, the societies reportedly call for the criteria that led to the financing of a drug or indication to be published and a “justifying report” in instances where a drug/indication is rejected for funding. In this respect, they note that “it is necessary to clarify that, on occasions, it is necessary to make decisions based on sustainability criteria, although this may entail a certain scientific sacrifice”.
In addition, the societies reportedly state that, when a funding/price decision is justified by the existence of therapeutic alternatives, they should be indicated explicitly.
The societies make a number of other suggestions, including:
- Guarantee the participation in the preparation of therapeutic positioning reports of multi-disciplinary experts
- Conduct periodic reviews of therapeutic positioning reports to ensure they reflect the latest advances in medicine
- Compile a list of hospital pharmacists/medical oncologists with expertise in different therapeutic areas who could participate in the review/preparation of therapeutic positioning reports at any time
- Increase transparency and traceability in the market access process, for example by publishing the dates of each step of the approval process – from approval of a new drug by the EMA to funding in Spain.
Source:
www.diariofarm.com, “SEFH, SEOM y SEHH señalan a Sanidad áreas de mejora del proceso de financiación y precio de fármacos”, 12th May 2022