From June, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina may face new increases in the price of medicines, because the increase in prices in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia automatically affects the increase in the maximum wholesale prices on the domestic market.
Namely, as stated by the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the price framework for medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the current regulations is the average price of medicine in reference countries (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia).
Manufacturers get room to raise drug prices
“When there is an increase in drug prices in those countries, there is also an increase in the maximum wholesale price of the drug in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus manufacturers get room to raise the prices of drugs. The new calculation will come into effect in June, and then for drugs for which a higher maximum wholesale price is obtained, manufacturers can raise prices,” said the Agency.
They explained that permanent interruptions in the supply of medicines mostly occur for commercial reasons, that is, due to the cancellation of the license or the manufacturer’s non-participation in the license renewal procedure.
Temporary interruptions
“When it comes to temporary interruptions, they occur due to problems in the production process itself, due to changes in the production process, due to reorganization of production, due to problems in the procurement of raw materials, problems in the procurement of packaging materials, due to globally disrupted supply chains”, the Agency explains.
They point out that a large number of drugs have so-called generic parallels, a drug with the same active substance, in the same pharmaceutical form and with the same strength, but made by a different manufacturer.
“Therefore, the lack of a drug on the market does not mean the unavailability of therapy for the patient.
We are in daily communication with manufacturers and wholesalers. “Last year, we prevented the shortage by significantly improving the dynamics of processing requests for issuing, renewing, and amending licenses for placing on the market in BiH high-quality, effective, and safe drugs, thereby influencing the faster delivery of the drug to the patient,” the Agency points out.
As they explained, they also approve the circulation of the drug produced for another market, in accordance with the specification approved by the Agency.
“Our weakness turns into our advantage”
“BiH is not a member of the European Union and as a market is more open compared to EU member states. In this way, our weakness turns into our advantage”, concluded the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH.
New European rules on wastewater treatment
As a reminder, the new European rules on wastewater treatment could lead to an increase in drug prices across Europe, and experts warn that the biggest blow could hit the generic drugs that are most used in everyday treatment.
According to the new rules, the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry should bear the largest part of the costs of additional removal of drug residues from wastewater.
The goal is to reduce pollution of rivers, lakes and groundwater, but manufacturers warn that the extra costs could put a serious strain on the production of cheaper therapies.
Generic drugs are particularly at risk
Generic drugs are particularly at risk, because they have low prices and low profits, and are used to treat the most common diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and infections. Experts warn that part of the manufacturers could give up the production of certain drugs, which increases the risk of shortages on the market.
On the other hand, scientists warn that the remains of antibiotics and other drugs are increasingly present in water and the environment, which increases the risk of the development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, they believe that additional purification measures are necessary to protect public health.
More expensive therapies and more pressure
Although there are currently no serious shortages of medicines, experts warn that the coming years could bring more expensive therapies and greater pressure on health systems if a balance is not found between environmental protection and the availability of medicines.
Murisa Marić, executive director of the Don Prijedor Citizens’ Association, previously told “Nezavisne novine” that medicines in our country have been too expensive for a long time.
“It’s a totally different story in the region and it’s not strange to hear that many of our citizens go to Serbia to get medicine,” said Marić and added that the margins on medicine are too high.
Space for discounting
“There is certainly room for cheaper prices, but I think that here is another point of their story, especially when we see how many pharmacies are open in the cities, which shows that it is also a lucrative industry,” Marić said.
She explained that pharmacies now sell everything, from chewing gum to slippers, they write Independent newspaper.
“The pharmacy has become a classic store, so it’s no wonder why they don’t want the prices to be lower,” said Marić.
