Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: In 2019, we identified how rigorous pricing management could increase efficiency in the Portuguese NHS by securing better ex-factory prices (EFPs) for pharmaceutical companies and reducing costs for the NHS and patients. The current analysis aims to understand the pricing management in Portugal over the period 2022-2023.
METHODS: During 2022-2023, we registered all medicines prices available in Portugal using the official databases available on INFARMED’s website. By applying the concept of "shadow zones", we identified all medicines, on a monthly basis, for which the EFP was not maximized. The concept of "shadow zones" is defined as ranges of public prices (PP) at the beginning of tiers 2 to 6, that generates EFPs lower than the EFPs obtained from PP of the previous tiers. This means that by decreasing some PP, we can increase its respective EFPs. Then, using the Portuguese IQVIA database, we calculated the number of total boxes sold per month in Portugal with non-optimized prices, and its respective percentage comparing with the Portuguese total pharma market. Additionally, we calculated the revenue loss of pharmaceutical companies during this period.
RESULTS: From January 2022 to December 2023, an average of 2.4% of all medicines sold in Portugal had non-optimized prices. During this 24-month period, more than 11 million boxes were sold without granting the highest profit to pharmaceutical companies, resulting in an estimated loss of over €8.7 million. This translates into an average loss of €0.76 per box, with some cases reaching a unit loss of up to €3.24 per box.
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows that a rigorous price management in Portugal can maximize some medicines’ EFPs, thereby increasing profits for pharmaceutical companies and simultaneously reducing the out-of-pocket cost for patients. With specialized personnel dedicated to the pricing area, pharmaceutical companies would have gained an additional €8.7 million in 2022-2023.