Posted by Michael Wonder on 19 Feb 2018
Drug companies are blackmailing us with expensive drugs: health care chief
19 February 2018 - The Dutch healthcare institute Zorginstituut Nederland says insurers should stop paying for expensive drugs if pharmaceutical companies continue to refuse to say how they arrive at the price, the Financieele Dagblad said on Monday.
The institute, which assesses the efficacy of new drugs and advises the government on whether they should be included in the basic healthcare policy, says the drugs companies are effectively blackmailing officials by refusing to be transparent about their prices. In particular, the ZN is angry about the drug Spinraza, which costs €250,000 per patient per year.
It has recommended that the drug, used to treat spinal muscular atrophy, should not be covered by insurance unless the manufacturers chop 85% from the price.
