Update of Recent Reforms in Germany to Enhance the Quality and Efficiency of Prescribing of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Lipid-Lowering Drugs

Excerpt

A plethora of reforms and initiatives have been introduced across Europe to enhance the prescribing of generics first line where they exist, obtain low prices for generics[1‐12] and, increasingly, to obtain low prices for interchangeable brands in a class once generics are available.[1‐4,13] In Germany, level 1 reference pricing, which contains products with identical bioactive ingredients, has been in operation since 1989 with patients paying the difference between the actual and reference prices if applicable.[3] Level 2 reference pricing, where drugs are grouped by comparable pharmacological and therapeutic activity, was instigated in June and July 2004 for the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and statins, respectively. The formulas for setting prices have been described elsewhere.[3,14] …