The three auctions of drugs launched by the regional government have made savings of EUR 104 million, a third of expected when (300 million) were held. Of the 335 active ingredients out to tender, only 127 have been awarded because the rest have not submitted bids. The Health attributes this drop in forecasts for the shackles of central executive, who has twice forced to stop the process for resources to the Constitutional Court, has penalized companies that attended the first call and convinced large laboratories for not re-engage.
The Deputy Director of Pharmacy Services and the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), Antonio Peinado, no doubt that " everything that is not awarded due to government pressure." "If we had not intervened, he would be almost all done and our savings would be much higher," laments Peinado, who, however, says he is "satisfied". " We would have liked to get the total estimated. But if instead of two calls takes eight, the will, " he says.
Drugs in the third auction, awarded in November, will reach the pharmacies from 1 February. That day will be effective for 34 drugs and April 1 for the other 93. Probably from that date, the Board of the fourth edition, which will be tendered the 208 medicines you have been deserted ever arises. Is another side effect of the refusal of large laboratories to participate in the contest: Health was assumed that the 12 companies that have gone to the third edition are, apart from some high or low, you will continue to participate in following. And if you have not submitted bids for these 200 drugs are drugs is because they do not manufacture.
Some permits have been processed to produce a given drug following the Andalusian auction and have shown interest in incorporating production others that are pending award, but need time to obtain official authorization. Large laboratories participated in the first round, but resigned to sign the agreement with the SAS after the central government threatened them with sanctions and warned them that the PP would remove the auction when it came to the Chair of the Board (missing 10 days to the elections of March 2012 and polls showed secure an absolute majority by Javier Arenas).
Us Medinsa, German capital, was one of those who received the call of ministry. " We were told we were going to open a record price cut," recalls Joachim Teubner, manager Aristo Pharma Iberia, Medinsa and sister company under whose brand has come to the second and third auction. Health and expedientÃ_ carried out his threat to the company, but closed the investigation without punishment. Sanofi had less luck and Vir, which itself forced to cut prices across Spain. "It is a difficult political issue to justify. If the purpose is to save public money, it is not understood why the state is opposed, "said Teubner, recalling that in his country, Germany, auction takes several years running, and in the first two calls, large laboratories also opposed. " A third were and all. And today is absolutely normalized " he says. "The savings are huge."
One of the reasons behind the rejection of a large auction that they spend most of their production capacity to innovative medicines, which are patent, and most of the active ingredients that are marketed under its brand manufactured by smaller laboratories. "The auction has opened the door to small, they can offer low prices because we are the real manufacturers," explains deputy Pharmacy SAS.
The Almeria laboratory Francisco Durban, the only Andalusian tenderer had 90 years manufacturing drugs, but could not find space to put them directly in the market. He pointed to the second auction and repeated in the third. Now has six awarded molecules and invested in machinery, established an evening shift at the factory and hired six people (in a staff of 30) to produce for the SAS. " The previous model prevented us to go to market small, commercial networks do not have to compete with the big boys, who account for everything," says the director of the company, Rafael Durban.
Tags: achieved, auction, drugs, saving, stumbled