PRIMER: Current clawback mechanism jeopardizes patients’ access to drugs produced in Romania

The clawback tax, applied to the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals from Romania, doubled in the last 2 years and represents a double taxation system that jeopardizes patients’ access to drugs produced in Romania and the future of an economy with added value that should become of strategic importance for Romania, says the Union of Industrial Producers of Drugs from Romania (PRIMER).

PRIMER asks the authorities to end this double taxation system.

“PRIMER warns that the payment obligation of clawback type, that actually hides a tax on turnover of drugs manufacturing units increased from 12.3 percent in the third quarter of 2015 to 19.8 percent in the first quarter of 2017 and it’s estimated to grow up to 26 percent in the third quarter of 2017,” says PRIMER.

Dragos Damian, the executive director of the Union, said: „Over 1,500 drugs manufactured in Romania cost in their majority less than RON 25 in pharmacy or hospital. They are all absolutely essential to ensure a wide and immediate access of patients to high quality and efficient treatments,” said Damian.

PRIMER believes that if the drugs that cost less than RON 25 are not exempted from the clawback tax, starting July 1, the patients’ access to cheap drugs will be harder, more than it is now and the competitiveness of drugs producers from Romania will suffer.