11/16/2023, 11:16 | Hello
The drug for the home treatment of COVID-19 “Paxlovid”, promised as early as 2022, will probably remain a mirage for a huge part of Bulgarian patients.
The drug already has a registered price for the Bulgarian market, and its approval is in the final phase. However, the product will be reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Fund only in the event of a declared emergency epidemic situation. Otherwise, patients have to buy it at their own expense, and the established ceiling price may be prohibitive for most patients. Its price in pharmacies will be BGN 2154.3, writes “Sega”.
Bulgaria has started talks on concluding a bilateral contract for the supply of “Paxlovid” against Covid-19 as early as 2022. The drug is made by Pfizer and is used to treat covid in adults who do not need supplemental oxygen and who are exposed to an increased risk of a severe form of the disease. It is available with a prescription and is used for outpatient treatment of mild to moderate cases.
The drug was approved for use in early 2022 by the European Medicines Agency. It became famous as the drug with which US President Joe Biden was treated. The drug is already widely distributed there and is dispensed by general practitioners.
In order to be put on the market in our country, the product must have a registered price from the National Council for Pricing and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products (NSCRL), the Ministry of Health explains. This happened in March, and the approved marginal price for the medicine at retail after calculating the surcharges in the chain is BGN 2154.3 including VAT.
Currently, a procedure is underway to include the product in the positive drug list, while an evaluation of health technologies is underway, the Ministry of Health further specified. Even after the procedure is completed and the drug is included in the positive list so that it can be covered by the health fund, this will not be possible automatically. The medicine will be able to be prescribed under the condition of reimbursement, that is, completely free or partially paid, only if a state of emergency or an extraordinary epidemic situation has been declared, specified the NHIF.
The fund refers to the express texts of the regulation, which defines the conditions for covering the costs of medicines for home treatment by the health fund. The NHIF also reminds that, according to the regulation, they start reimbursing a given medication in the year following its inclusion in the positive list. / Source: Dnes.bg
