OBJECTIVES: Many pharmaceutical companies claim that because of European national pricing regulations, namely the wide-spread policy of external reference pricing some off-patent originator products disappeared from the public market. We investigated likelihood and timelines for occurrence. METHODS: Panel data from Euripid database were extracted for seven major substances in national public markets. All strengths, presentations and packs were considered. We defined public market as fully or partly publicly funded reimbursable medicines. Euripid features information on reimbursable medicines (including prices) from 28 European countries. We checked if originators were marketed at different time periods between 2010 and May 2016 and if relevant – when they had been delisted. RESULTS: In 2016 the originator brand was not reimbursed

• Atorvastatin in Poland and Estonia,
• Clopidogrel in five countries
• Donezepil in eight countries,
• Omeprazole in 13 countries,
• Olanzapine in Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia,
• Paroxetine in six countries,
• Valproic acid in Bulgaria, Iceland and Estonia.

Regarding timelines no 1:1 connection could be found between generic entry and the delisting of originator brands. We found countries (e.g. Estonia or Czech Republic) where originators disappeared when generics entered the market, but there are examples like Clopidogrel in Hungary, where the originator stayed in the national formulary despite a number of generics was listed for further six years. CONCLUSIONS: