Over 3,000 generic drugs have disappeared from the market in recent years (producers' assoc)

More than 3,000 generic medicines have disappeared from the market in recent years, warned Thursday the representatives of the Romanian Generic Medicine Manufacturers Association (APMGR) in a press release.

"Patients in Romania have been paying more and more for medicines in recent years due to the pricing and charging policies established by the government, to which is added the accelerated increase in production costs, generated by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. APMGR raises the alarm that more than 3,000 generic medicines have disappeared from the market, which creates a paradox - patients have innovative medicines (with a higher price) available, but do not have access to generic drugs (up to 80% cheaper)," says APMGR.

At the same time, APMGR requests the Romanian government to urgently implement some measures to ensure the access of Romanian patients to healthcare and to protect the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) budget, including the adjustment of prices with the inflation rate, at least for medicines up to 50 RON, and the alignment of the clawback tax with 15% for generic drugs.

According to APMGR, to the extent that low-priced generic drugs, "the most tax burdened" at the moment, leave the market in Romania, CNAS ends up spending more and more of the Single National Social Insurance Fund, because it will compensate more expensive drugs.

"Romania has four times less generic drugs than Poland, two times less than the Czech Republic and six times less than Germany. There is, therefore, a great opportunity to generate additional savings by entering the market of new drugs generics," the press release also states.

Generic drugs are the equivalents of original drugs whose patents have expired. They contain the same active substance as the original product, being equivalent in terms of dose, concentration, route of administration, safety, efficacy and therapeutic indications.