Greek Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis has said that, by the end of next year, Greece aims to triple the amount of generic drugs prescribed, so as to close the gap to the targets that have been set by its international creditors as terms of the country’s bailout .
By the end of 2014, the Greek Ministry of Health aims to raise to at least 30 percent the share of generic drugs in the total volume of prescription drugs sold in Greece. “If we add this percentage to last year’s 19.8 percent, the target of 60 percent will be closer,” said Mr. Georgiadis. He added that anything less than 30 percent would be considered as failure and that the 60 percent goal will probably be achieved by the end of 2015.
The Minister underlined that the share of generic drugs sold in Greece was still very low compared to the European average of more than 70 percent. In addition, he mentioned that the Greek coalition government will cut the average treatment price by degrees every six months, to allow local generic drugs manufacturers to adapt to international competition.
One of the terms included in Greece’s bailout is cuts in public spending on drugs. The generic medicine market in Greece brings in approximately 500 million euros a year – a number that the Minister said must be increased to 750 million euros when the country reaches the goal of 60 percent.
Concerning the quality of generic drugs, Mr. Georgiadis dismissed any concerns about drugs imported from developing countries. In particular he stated “ We are talking about the same drugs used everywhere in Europe, I haven’t heard of European patients suffering from low quality medication.”
The Greek health Minister made it crystal clear that he opposes the sale of non-prescription drugs in supermarkets and the deregulation of pharmacies, as demanded by Greece’s international lenders. As he put it, “the point is to land the plane safely, not to crash it.” There are currently 11,500 pharmacies in Greece, whereas 6,000 would be more than enough to cover the country’s needs. There are also more specialized doctors and fewer general practitioners and nurses compared with other European Union member-States.
“An army full of generals, and few soldiers,” the minister said. “We know that this is not sustainable, but we don’t want to take measures that will lead half of the country’s pharmacies into bankruptcy. We should remember that unemployment in Greece is at 28 percent.”
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