Groundbreaking 'risk-sharing' deals agreed between GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and two European member states, which allow prices of new drugs to be raised or lowered depending on the outcome of post-launch phase IV trials, have been welcomed by the industry.
Andrew Witty, head of European pharmaceuticals at GSK, said the firm was exploring the novel pricing model with several governments and was hopeful that many other countries would adopt the idea in the future.
The European industry has been severely critical of the price controls that many European governments have fixed on new drugs at the time of launch when information on their true value is still limited, without the flexibility to alter the price once that data becomes available.
GSK has declined to name the countries or medicines involved due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information.
Kieron Sparrowhawk, principal at pharma pricing consultancy, PriceSpective, described the deals as “groundbreaking” and said that by entering into the agreements, GSK was effectively “putting its money where its mouth is”.
“This type of deal is not without risk to both sides,” he told PMLive. “GSK is saying it will cut the price if the health outcomes deem it necessary and that's something companies haven't really been prepared to do in the past. Yes, there have been price/volume agreements but not ones that have been linked to the overall effectiveness of the product.”
More at PMlive.com
Anyone out there know which countries/products are involved?
pharmagossip@hotmail.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment