Ankara, Turkey - Many countries and regions have already defined health policies on orphan drugs for rare diseases. Although there is no official definition in Turkey, all orphan drugs are covered by reimbursement, regardless of their market authorization status.
A study conducted from the Turkish pharmaceutical consumption database (e.g. IMS, Turkish Medicines and Medical Device Agency, etc.) aimed to shed some light on orphan drug use in Turkey in order to provide further classification of rare diseases and assessments of orphan drugs in the country.
The researchers learned that fifty out of the 60 different orphan drugs defined by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have entered the Turkish market in recent years. In 2008, there were 14 authorized and 19 non-authorized orphan drugs on the market. In 2010, there were 18 authorized and 18 non-authorized orphan drugs. All these drugs are fully reimbursed at the present time. The total orphan drugs market value increased from €148 million to €208 million between 2008 and 2010. Antineoplastic agents accounted for the highest percentage of orphan drugs. In 2010, 18 antineoplastic agents had 58% of the total orphan drug market, at a value of €120 million. These were followed by alimentary tract and metabolism medicines.
According to IMS data, the total market value of reimbursed medicines increased from €6.6 billion to €7.4 billion between 2008 and 2010. The market share of orphan drugs of the total market increased from 2% to 3%, a rise of nearly 50%, the highest increase among all medicinal product categories. Today, 50 molecules are available for patients with rare diseases in Turkey, with a market share of approximately 3%. The value of Turkey’s orphan drugs market increased by 40% between 2008 and 2010, with the consumption of total units increasing by 82%.
Although orphan drug legislation is not yet established in Turkey, pricing and reimbursement policies for this particular group of drugs are already in place. As a result, patients can access treatment in a rapid and equitable manner.
The full study, “
An Overview of the Orphan Medicines Market in Turkey,” is published in
Value in Health Regional Issues - Volume 4, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and Africa (CEEWA).