PM Silina glad about coalition's ability to agree on capping drug prices

RIGA - Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) is glad about the government coalition's ability to agree on prices caps for medicines. 

After the weekly coalition meeting on Monday, the prime minister told journalists that tomorrow, the government will review Health Minister Hossams Abu Meri's report on price caps on medicines. Silina described it as a historic moment, as this coalition has managed to agree on the adoption of a document for the price cuts. 

''We are aware that there will be many different questions and it will not be possible to answer them all at once, but the information report will set the direction of the drug price cap. The government will work to bring down the overall price of medicines for the population, to bring prices closer to the level of Estonia and Lithuania,'' the prime minister stressed.

LETA has already reported that the health minister has said that one of his priorities is to improve access to medicines for the population, both by developing the system and list of reimbursements and by reviewing the principles of drug pricing.

Work is also underway on a conceptual report to identify the key issues affecting the affordability of medicines and to provide solutions to ensure that people have access to the medicines they need. Pharmaceutical companies, however, have been vehemently opposing the proposals set out in the Health Ministry's report on increasing the affordability of medicines.