Does Belgium pay a “usual” price for medicines of ATC class A10 “Drugs used in diabetes”?
Anja Sonemann, Evelien Nauwelaerts, Nathan Gurnet, Francis Arickx (National Institute for Health and Disability Insureance (NIHDI))
Belgium’s prices for medicines in ATC group A10 are in the normal to lower range when compared to EURIPID countries. Median prices raised in ATC group A10A by 14.5 % in the EURIPID region and by 7.7 % in Belgium. In group ATC A10B oral medication the median price did raise by 7.7 % but average price raised by 30% indicating that higher-priced medicines have entered the market within this class.
Even after excluding the high-priced liquid ‘glibenclamide’, average prices raised in ATC group A10B, (oral) in the EURIPID region by 36% and median by 14.5%. Medications that may drive these price increases can be found in ATC group A10BJ ‘Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues’ – especially ‘semaglutide’ – and ATC group A10BD ‘Combinations of oral blood glucose lowering drugs’. These groups are characterized by an increase in the number of available products over the past six years within the EURIPID region, indicating this subgroups being of high interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
In conclusion, Belgium appears to align with the overall trend observed in the EURIPID region. However, we recommend a more in-depth analysis of the contributions of ATC group A10BD and ATC group A10BJ to the current and future overall net expenditure.
