BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Tuesday that it should allow medical health insurance corporations to pay more for pediatric medications which might be briefly supply within the country.
Germans have scrambled to search out basic drugs reminiscent of painkillers in recent weeks amid delivery bottlenecks and higher-than-usual demand.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said insurers that form the backbone of the German public health system will have the option to pay 50% greater than the legally set price for patent-free medicines. If such drugs aren’t available, they will fall back on costlier branded drugs or make liquids preferred for pediatric use out of tablets.
Germany, where the costs insurers pay for generic drugs are capped, is a less attractive marketplace for some pharmaceutical corporations than neighboring nations reminiscent of the Netherlands.
Lauterbach said Germany would also attempt to tackle a shortage of antibiotics and cancer drugs by giving preference to suppliers that produce key ingredients throughout the European Union and requiring them to maintain several months value of stocks.
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German authorities say the country has a critical shortage of greater than 50 drugs, most of them generics. The issue is attributable to slim margins for some medications, a concentration of suppliers in certain non-EU countries, heightened demand and quality control issues.
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