Insurance pills

Pharmaceutical manufacturers and officials began to discuss a new model of drug supply

From January 1, 2010, Russian beneficiaries, who currently receive medicines at state expense, may become the first group of Russian citizens on whom the drug insurance system will be tested. Yesterday, the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare and Social Development (Roszdravnadzor) held a meeting at which officials, together with representatives of the pharmaceutical community, insurance companies and public patient organizations, began to choose a drug insurance model suitable for Russia. Officials have been talking for a long time about the need to introduce universal compulsory drug insurance, designed to shift part of the costs from the state budget and family wallets to insurance companies. Now, apparently, they are ready to implement this project - at least as an experiment.

The meeting began with a lengthy analytical report by the deputy head of Roszdravnadzor, Elena Telnova, who showed the audience more than fifty slides on the topic “what drug insurance systems exist in the world.” Models from almost all European countries were presented, as well as a North American version. “The employees of the federal service have done a lot of scientific work, comparing virtually all the models working today and identifying their main pros and cons,” noted Viktor Dmitriev, General Director of the Association of Russian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (ARPP), who participated in the discussion. Ms. Telnova also analyzed in detail the experience of implementing the program for providing necessary medicines - ONLS (this is now the name of the well-known state project DLO, additional drug provision), without hiding its shortcomings . The deputy head of Roszdravnadzor especially emphasized that the control agency does not have its own priorities in choosing an insurance model and is ready to listen to the opinions of market players.

The general vector of preferences of all interested parties emerged almost immediately - this is necessarily the European model of drug insurance, which involves co-financing from the patient. In international practice, there are various options for the patient’s “participation” in his own drug therapy. For example, in some countries it is customary to pay extra for a drug whose cost exceeds the cost of drugs from the mandatory list provided by the state free of charge. But an option is also possible in which the insured citizen pays a fixed amount - most often very small - when receiving any subsidized drug.

“Most of the people who were at the meeting are, by and large, ready to accept any of the proposed models and adapt to it,” Viktor Dmitriev told Vremya Novostei. But representatives of a public organization of patients suffering from hemophilia came out categorically against the far from flawless model that exists in the United States and is often criticized. It does not sufficiently take into account the need for expensive drugs among the most vulnerable sections of society - the unemployed and emigrants.

In order to launch such a responsible social project in the context of the developing financial crisis, it is necessary to take insurance, drug manufacturers and wholesale suppliers are confident. They were quite satisfied with the proposal of the chief clinical pharmacologist of Roszdravnadzor, Yuri Belousov, to prepare two lists of drugs included in the ONLS program as early as next year - “positive” and “negative”. That is, in case of more or less stable financing and in case of financial problems.

“Such a realistic, correct and, I would say, scientific approach made the most positive impression,” Pavel Vorobyov, head of the department of standardization in health care of the Research Institute of Public Health and Health Care Management, told Vremya Novostei. - The main thing is that everyone who needs life-saving drugs can receive them. Regardless of the scenario of events.”

The main problem of the current drug supply program is auction purchases of drugs at the regional level, says Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Alexander Apazov. In his speech, he noted that local authorities often prescribe the conditions for admission to auctions in such a way that only one company - close to regional bosses - falls under them. All this ultimately affects beneficiaries. Manufacturers and pharmaceutical distributors are also extremely concerned about the issue of financing. Remembering the history of two years ago, when the state owed suppliers and manufacturers millions of dollars, they want to receive from the government a guarantee of timely payments prescribed in the new law “On Medicines.” “We don’t want to finance this program again,” noted one of the industrialists present in the hall.

Galina PAPERNAYA