Competition in the off-patent medicine market in Spain: The national reference pricing system versus the regional system of tendering for outpatient prescription medicines in Andalusia

Abstract

Spain has a reference price system (RPS) for off-patent medicines since 1997. In addition, from 2012, Andalusia is running a series of tenders for procuring off-patent medicines dispensed by community pharmacies, for those medicines included in the system of homogenous clusters within the national reference price system. Such tenders offer additional savings to the regional payer - in the form of rebates ("economic improvements") from companies winning the tender. This paper estimates that the regional savings were between €43 M to €54 M over the period of study (April - September 2015). The paper also estimates that Spain could have made between 14 and 17 times higher savings than the national reference pricing system savings, had the Andalusian-type tender been implemented at national level over the same period of study. Based on our analysis, we have four remarks. First, the national RPS in Spain is not generating enough price competition for off-patent products dispensed in primary care pharmacies. Second, tenders can be a useful way to generate competition and financial savings in the off-patent market. Third, tenders can lead to discounts offered by medicine providers being redistributed from pharmacies to payers. And fourth, before implementing a national tender in Spain, several key issues need to be addressed to ensure it provides the right incentives both in the short and long run.

Keywords: Competition; Generics; Homogeneous clusters of medicines; INN prescribing; Off-patent medicine market; Price regulation; Reference pricing system; Regulatory efficiency; Reimbursement policies; Tendering; Tenders.