The highest clawback in the EU, the suspension of innovative cancer therapies, the increasing delays in the arrival of new treatments, and disinvestment in innovation create a worrying environment that requires shared responsibility and immediate action.
PhARMA Innovation Forum (PIF), representing 30 leading biopharmaceutical companies engaged in the research, development, and provision of innovative therapies, expresses its deep concern about the sustainability of pharmaceutical innovation in our country and its impact on both the availability and accessibility of modern, innovative treatments for patients.
The Greek market for innovative medicines is now under severe pressure due to the highest clawback in the European Union, creating an operating environment that is increasingly unpredictable and, above all, less sustainable.
It can hardly be considered a coincidence that the provision of innovative therapies has been suspended, along with the disinvestment by international pharmaceutical companies in critical therapeutic areas. This development, combined with the increasing delays in the arrival of new innovative medicines in our country, constitutes a serious threat to public health and raises legitimate concerns about the future of patient access to innovation.
Available data confirm the severity of the situation. The overall pharmaceutical market is growing faster than the public budget, while the Governments’s contribution remains fixed (closed budget), resulting in a disproportionate financial burden being shifted to the pharmaceutical industry through mandatory clawbacks.
While Greece ranks among the countries with the lowest medicine prices, the hospital clawback for drugs over 30€ exceeds 75% for 2024, while for EOPYY it reaches 62.7%, with additional fiscal shifts further burdening innovative products and creating an extra load of approximately 100€ million.
The impact of this reality is already visible. According to the EFPIA WAIT indicator, the availability of new innovative therapies decreased by 4% in 2024 compared to 2023. Over the past five years, there has been an average disinvestment of around 20% in human resources (including layoffs of highly qualified, university-educated staff), local operations, and clinical research, while clinical trial activity has slowed down, despite regulatory provisions for investment clawbacks.
Ms. Labrina Barmpetaki, President of PIF, stated: “Innovation cannot survive in an environment of constant financial uncertainty. When the funding system becomes unsustainable, patient access to new, innovative therapies is not just delayed—it is at risk! Greece is on the path to transforming from a country of timely access to innovative medicines into one of delayed or selective access. We urgently need a predictable framework that ensures both the sustainability of the healthcare system and the availability of innovation for patients.”
For PIF, patient access to pharmaceutical innovation is a matter of utmost importance and shared responsibility. Addressing structural challenges requires an honest and evidence-based dialogue between the Government, the pharmaceutical industry, and all relevant stakeholders, so that Greece remains a reliable and competitive partner in innovation and patients have timely and equitable access to the right treatment when they need it. Let us not hide from the truth any longer: additional resources are needed in the system, and this is the responsibility of the Government. The pharmaceutical industry has been overextended and has consistently demonstrated its ethical stance and sense of responsibility over the years. The Government must also acknowledge its own responsibility and act accordingly.
