Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) pay for the most expensive medicines in the region, according to a survey conducted by the “Think Good” Association.
They stated that no one supervises the medicines market in BiH, which, according to their estimates, is worth more than 700 million BAM.
Ten medicines
”9 of the observed 13 drugs from the group of best-selling medicines in BiH are convincingly the most expensive in thisregion, ” the analysis showed.
They noted that the responsibility for that lies primarily with the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH, but also with the entity ministries of health and health insurance institutes.
”Wholesalers and chains of retail pharmacies in BiH are reaping the highest profit compared to regional markets, ” told Uros Vukic from the Association “Think Good”.
A pharmacy in Republika Srpska (RS) can earn 200 BAM for a medicine whose price is 1000 BAM, 250 BAM in Federation of BiH (FBiH), 180 BAM in Montenegro, 100 BAM in Croatia, and only 15.60 BAM in Serbia.
Mirsad Sabanredzovic, an expert in the field of pharmacoeconomics, explained that the results of this research are known to the professional public in BiH.
The maximum price
”At the level of BiH, there is a rulebook on determining the maximum prices of medicines. It determines the maximum prices, however, in our country, when the maximum limit is set, then it is the price. We also have defined wholesale margins, in our country, it is 8 percent and in Serbia 6 percent. Then the retail margin goes to that price, in FBiH it is determined that it can go up to 25 percent, and in Serbia, it is 12 percent. After that, we add 17 percent of VAT to this price, and in Serbia, the VAT on medicines is 8 percent, ” Sabanredzovic pointed out.
Also, he added that the price of the medicine is also affected by the size of the market, ie the number of inhabitants and the level of GDP, ie consumption. As he said, everything, after all, comes down to politics, more precisely, the impact of politics on the medicines market in BiH.
”High prices are a consequence of an unnecessarily complicated political system in a country that has an extremely unregulated medicines market, ” concluded Sabanredzovic.
Model change
”My suggestion was that prices be set on the basis of a pharmacoeconomic study. This model would also take into account GDP, the level of consumption, the development of the health system, so there would be a realistic and significantly lower price of medicines. I calculated that prices would be lower by an average of 15 to 20 percent, ” explained Sabanredzovic.
E.Dz.
Source:Avaz
