Catalonian Health Service (CatSalut) continues to implement results-based reimbursement for innovative medicines to speed up access and avoid delays from a centralised process. CatSalut has also initiated two initiatives to facilitate pricing negotiations with payers in Catalonia.
Implications | Catalonian Health Service (CatSalut) continues to implement results-based reimbursement for innovative medicines and has announced the launch of a Radar programme to strengthen direct dialogue between the pharmaceutical industry and payers in Catalonia. |
Outlook | CatSalut's support for results-based reimbursement reflects Catalonia's intention to establish a system that differs from national-level policies, more driven by cost-base reimbursement, in line with the region's goal of full independence from central policies. |
The director of the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), David Elvira, has stated that Catalonia is focused on continuing to implement results-based reimbursement for innovative medicines to speed up access, reports medical news agency Correo Farmaceutico. The results-based reimbursement system adopted by some hospitals in Catalonia has shown positive results in facilitating faster access to innovative medicines than national policies, according to the source.
Radar programme
CatSalut has also announced the launch of a Radar programme aimed at strengthening direct dialogue between the pharmaceutical industry and payers in Catalonia to assess strategies for funding innovative medicines before the central administration has set a price for them, which reduces the payers' freedom to negotiate.
CatSalut has also decided to reintroduce the Table of Medicines (Mesa de Medicamentos) project to facilitate the exchange of information and feedback between the pharma industry and the Catalonia Department of Health, which is involved in Catalonia's drug policy.
Outlook and implications
These projects being put in place by CatSalut align with the recently published draft framework from Catalonia's Health Council for reforming the health service. This prioritises the pharmaceutical sector, targeting full independence from the Spanish central government on pricing and reimbursement policy (see Spain: 16 June 2016: Catalonia reforms CatSalut and completes proposal for independent medicine agency and autonomous health regulation).
Support for a results-based reimbursement policy also underscores Catalonia's intention to establish a reimbursement system that diverges from central-level policies, more driven by cost-base reimbursement. This could constitute a further step towards Catalonia's full independence from the Spanish central government, in line with the region's independence initiatives. The implementation of the new framework is likely to gain considerable support, given that last year's regional election generated a parliamentary majority for pro-independence groups. Together for Yes (Junts pel Sí: JxSi) won 62 of the 135 seats and 39.57% of the vote (see Spain: 12 October 2015: Pharma industry concerned over pro-independence parties' victory in Spain's Catalonian parliamentary election).
While pro-independence reimbursement and healthcare policies are always likely to gain support across Catalonia's autonomous community, they face strong opposition from central government. In fact, in July, the Constitutional Court of Spain unanimously annulled several points of regional regulation to implement Catalonia's independent medicine agency and autonomous health regulation (see Spain: 8 July 2016: Spain's Constitutional Court rules against Catalonia's health independence).