Israel's committee recommending drugs for inclusion in the country's drug basket has named 65 drugs for inclusion on 2012's list worth 300 million new shekels (USD80 million).
IHS Global Insight Perspective | |
Significance | The Israeli committee in charge of recommending annual additions to the country's drug basket has recommended 65 new drugs and technologies to be included in the public health insurance scheme for this year. |
Implications | The additions include drugs for various indications and will cost the government over 300 million new shekels (USD80 million) annually. Novartis (Switzerland)'s Gilenya (fingolimod), Bristol-Myers Squibb (US)'s Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Bayer (Germany)'s Xarelto (rivaroxaban) are key drug inclusions for the coming year. |
Outlook | The inclusion of orphan drugs and treatments affecting small population groups for reimbursement is a positive for affected patients who would otherwise have to incur significantly higher costs, and is an indication of Israel's openness to personalised drugs. |
USD80-Mil. Worth of Drugs and Technologies Added to Israel's Positive Reimbursement List
The committee in charge of recommending drugs covered under Israel's public health insurance system has recommended 60 new drugs to be added to the country's "drug basket" for this year. The list includes drugs for several indications, such as oncology, haematology, cardiology, neurology, infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS), nephrology, auto-immune diseases, psychiatry, and opthalomology. In addition to the updated list, the health committee updated obstetrics guidelines and provided recommendations for a change to national policy on how to diagnose Down's syndrome and the possibility of including congenital disease genetic testing, budgeting, hearing aids, and more to the health basket.
Committee Recommendations for Israeli Health Basket 2012 | ||||
Byetta (exenatide) | Ozurdex (dexamethasone) | Mabthera (rituximab) | Xarelto (rivaroxaban) | Zelboraf (vemurafenib) |
Victoza (liraglutide) | Lens of the eye prosthesis | Benlysta (belimumab) | Multaq (dronedarone) | Yervoy (ipilimumab) |
Soliris (eculizumab) | Elonva (corifollitropin alpha) | Orencia (abatacept) | Crestor (rosuvastatin) | Erbitux (cetuximab) |
Onbrez (indacaterol) | Pergoveris (follitropin alpha + lutropin alpha) | Humira (adalimumab) | Afinitor (everolimus) | Vectibix (panitumumab) |
Spiriva (tiotropium) | Intrauterine contraceptive device | Actemra (tocilizumab) | Avastin (bevacizumab) | Sutent (sunitinib) |
Mucoclear (sodium chloride) | Carbaglu (carglumic acid) | Omnic oral controlled absorption system (Omnic)/Promnix/Tamsulin (tamsulosin) | Xalkori (crizotinib) | Xgeva (denosumab) |
Sterinebs /Budicort respules (budesonide) | Orfadin (nitisinone) | Abilify (aripiprazole) | Tarceva (erlotinib) | Tasigna (nilotinib) |
Electrical rationing system of the diaphragm for cervical spinal injury patients with paralysis | Berinert (C1 esterase inhibitor, human) | Decapeptyl (triptorelin) | Taxotere (docetaxel) | Revlimid (lenalidomide) |
Azarga (timolol + brinzolamide) | Prolia (denosumab) | Effient (prasugrel) | Firmagon (degarelix) | Prezista (darunavir) |
Ganfort (timolol + bimatoprost) | Protelos (strontium ranelate) | Brilinta (ticagrelor) | Glivec (imatinib) | Atripla (tenofovir + emtricitabine + efavirenz) |
Combigan (timolol + brimonidine) | Somavert (pegvisomant) | Pradaxa (dabigatran) | Mepact (mifamurtide) | Isentress (raltegravir) |
Baraclude (entecavir) | Viread (tenofovir) | Incivo (telapravir) | Victrelis (boceprevir) | Hepatic fibrosis diagnosis tests |
Hepatitis C viral load testing | Gilenya (fingolimod) | Fampyra (dalfampridine) | Dental treatment for congenital systemic and tooth structure damage | Magnox 520 (magnesium oxide) |
Source: Israeli Health Ministry | ||||
Key additions include Novartis (Switzerland)'s Gilenya (fingolimod), Bristol-Myers Squibb (US)'s Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Bayer (Germany)'s Xarelto (rivaroxaban). The most expensive additions are Viread (tenofovir), Incivo (telaprevir) and Victrelis (boceprevir), for the treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C, with coverage for these drugs expected to cost the government 43.97 million new shekels (USD11.6 million) annually.
In addition, several drugs on the list are already part of the drug basket, after being recommended in 2010 to have their coverage decreased. For example, Roche (Switzerland)'s Avastin (bevacizumab) will now be reimbursed only as a first-line treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Oncology drug Taxotere (docetaxel) and anticoagulant Brilinta (ticagrelor; AstraZeneca, UK) will also be reimbursed for several indications, increasing their reimbursement levels. New technology additions include an electrical rationing system of the diaphragm for cervical spinal injury patients with paralysis, as well as hepatitis C and fibrosis diagnostic tests, improving the detection levels of hepatitis C and B in the country. All of the above-mentioned inclusions are worth USD80 million and are set to benefit over 30,000 Israelis.
The Israeli Health Ministry's list of technologies included for 2012 can be found here.
Outlook and Implications
The new drug list has some significant additions, especially in terms of innovative treatments for diseases that affect small populations, such as Gilenya for multiple sclerosis. The basket is set to increase affordability of all the drugs in the aforementioned drug basket. For 2012, the number of drugs added to the basket has decreased from 2010 levels—when a total of 201 new drugs and technologies were added—indicating some constraints on the Ministry of Health's budget for this year. The figure is similar to that seen in 2011. The inclusion of orphan drugs and treatments affecting small population groups for reimbursement is a positive for the affected patients, who would otherwise have to incur significantly higher costs than patients. This provides an indication of Israel's openness to personalised drugs. Also included for 2012 are various drugs left off in 2011, including osteoporosis drug Protelos (strontium ranelate), and Gilenya. The Treasury has maintained similar funding levels for new drugs as in 2011, with ILS300 million which shows a funding reduction from 2010 levels, when ILS350 million were allocated. The ILS300 million of new treatments in 2011 and 2012 still marks the lowest amount allocated to the health basket in the last six years, an indication of the Israeli government's drive to rein in its health expenditure. This is despite the fact that healthcare funding in Israel amounts to only 8% of GDP, the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, with public-sector funding alone significantly lower than the OECD average. Nonetheless, the government’s adding of innovative drugs and technologies to 2012 Health Basket will boost drug sales and health spending.