Reimbursement

France’s health technology appraisal body, HAS, is putting more emphasis on the importance of economic evaluations in light of the rising costs of health technologies, including medicines and medical devices, and increasing budgetary pressures.

HAS, the French health technology assessment body, has issued positive recommendations for several orphan drugs, including for Vyloy, which was provisionally rejected for reimbursement in the UK last year.

Competition to win a coveted joint scientific advice slot will be fierce due to the limited number available.

Repatha was not an overnight success, but the work Amgen has done to turn its PCSK9 inhibitor into a blockbuster is informing its strategy for Lp(a)-reducing olpasiran and obesity drug MariTide.

Debate on how to manage drug spending continues in France despite an ongoing disagreement between industry and the government about whether there was €1.2bn overspend on medicines in 2024.

The Belgian health technology assessment agency will also lead on joint scientific consultations, which will be instrumental in helping companies submit appropriate dossiers for joint clinical assessments.

The strategy includes a committee made up of pharmaceutical industry representatives and ministers to discuss the impact of regulatory proposals.

A draft royal decree would pave the way for more transparency in pricing and reimbursement decision-making processes and boost competition to increase the participation of generic medicines.

Medtechs will be indirectly affected by a new law in Switzerland that unifies the amount of funding allocated to inpatient and ambulatory care.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers face unique challenges, particularly when it comes to managing thousands of complex rebate contracts and connecting the dots between contract agreements and business performance.