The Health Insurance Agency provides answers and clarifications on the reactions to the non-inclusion of innovative drugs in the GIS, through a statement.[/B]
As the Agency explains, "the Medicines Advisory Committee (MAC) reviewed the protocols concerning 70 innovative medicines for 15 different conditions. Within 2022, the Committee plans to review and create a further 15 protocols covering at least another 18 drugs. Furthermore, it is noted that only 16 requests for inclusion of new drugs in the SHS have not yet been evaluated by the FAC."
"Therefore, the claim that, "600 drugs for serious conditions remain outside the SHS", does not correspond to reality, the OAY stresses."
"Therefore, the claim that, "600 drugs for serious conditions remain outside the SHS", does not correspond to reality," the OAY stresses.
"It is worth noting that the procedure and criteria for including medicines in the SHI are in line with the practice followed by most Member States in the European Union," it adds."
It is recalled that at this stage the SHI covers about 2100 medicines, a number much higher than the number of medicines covered by the public sector. The above number includes more than 500 innovative medicines.
The Agency assures that it is continuing at a steady pace to evaluate new innovative medicines by revising their place in existing treatment protocols and/or defining new protocols where necessary. It is clarified that this is a very laborious and time-consuming process that requires expertise and many human resources.
Finally, it is stressed that the joint objective of the Health Insurance Agency, the Ministry of Health and the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations remains the equal and unhindered access of beneficiaries to innovative treatments.
It is worth mentioning that the last November the president of the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations, Marios Kouloumas, stressed to theCyprus Times that "the GESY, as it is designed, should have included 600 preparations which are innovative medicines, which have not been included in the System".
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