European states hardens line on drug prices

Article discusses a trend across Europe, where long-standing concern about rising healthcare costs, especially the growth in the price of drugs, by national health ministries, is being translated into aggressive action following the financial crisis and the euro’s recent troubles.

At the end of May 2010 two Danish pharmaceutical companies, Leo Pharma and Novo Nordisk, withdrew products from Greece in protest at the government's decision there to cut the prices of medicines by 25%.

OECD: Topics: Health http://www.oecd.org/topic/0,3699,en_2649_37407_1_1_1_1_37407,00.html

WHO: Europe: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies: Parallel trade and affordable access to medicines in the EU http://www.euro.who.int/en/who-we-are/partners/observatory/eurohealth/parallel-trade-and-affordable-access-to-medicines-in-the-eu

BBC News, 30.5.10: Second firm withdraws drugs from Greece over cuts http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10193799.stm

European Commission: DG Health and Consumer Potection: Public health: Medicinal products for human use http://ec.europa.eu/health/human-use/index_en.htm

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